Commissioners
The Maryland Commission on Indian Affairs is composed of nine members appointed by the governor of Maryland and confirmed by the Maryland State Senate. A majority of these nine members must be American Indian residents of Maryland, and at least three members must be from American Indian groups indigenous to Maryland. Each member of the commission is appointed based on demonstrated knowledge of American Indian culture and history, and an understanding of the needs and concerns of American Indian communities. Commissioners are appointed a term of three years, and can serve up to six years consecutively. In the event a successor has not been appointed at the conclusion of a commissioner’s term, the commissioner may continue to serve on the commission until one is appointed.
Commission Chair
Tom Bradshaw (Nause-Waiwash Band of Indians, Dorchester County)
Tom is a former member and past Vice President of the Dorchester County Council with a lifelong career in the agricultural, seafood and timber industries. He also has lifelong ties to a range of cultural institutions and initiatives committed to supporting and promoting indigenous history, including serving as the Maryland Association of Counties representative on the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority Board.
Commission Vice Chair
Lawrence Dunmore, III (Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation, Baltimore, County)
Lawrence Dunmore, III, is a senior program analyst and former unofficial acting tribal manager for the Bureau of Trust Fund Administration in the U.S. Department of the Interior. He currently serves as Folklorist and Historian for the Occaneechi Band and has published articles about the tribe’s history.
Commission Members
Sherry Ayers
Sherry Ayers is a member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina and serves as the Indian Education Program Coordinator for Baltimore City Public Schools. She is a former Commissioner of the Maryland Commission on Indian Affairs, where she served as Madam Chair of the Commission and Chair of the Education Committee. During her career with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, she helped establish the agency's Indigenous Employee Resource Group to foster community, cultural awareness, and support for Native employees. Throughout her career, Sherry has dedicated herself to serving Indigenous communities through leadership roles with the North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs as the Youth Representative, the Baltimore American Indian Center Board of Directors, and the North Carolina Native American Youth Organization (NCNAYO). She is committed to advancing educational opportunities, preserving Indigenous cultures, and advocating for Native youth and communities.
Shannon Marie Harley
Shannon Harley is a citizen of the Piscataway Conoy Tribe and serves as Secretary of the Piscataway Conoy Tribal Council. She is a dedicated public servant with over 20 years of service and is committed to preserving and promoting the history, culture, and traditions of the Piscataway people through advocacy, education, historic preservation, and community engagement.
Norris Howard, Jr. (Pocomoke Indian Nation, Somerset County)
Norris Howard, Jr. is the son of Paramount Chief Norris Howard, Sr. of the lower Eastern Shore. Recently retired from the Maryland Office of the Public Defender in Salisbury, where he was an investigator for 40 years, he is now a tribal artist and historian.
Peter Landeros (Pascua Yaqui Tribe, Howard County)
Peter Landeros is supported by Chief Mark Tayac of the Piscataway Indian Nation. He is the regional president of the American Indian Movement and, in that capacity, advocates on a range of issues, including Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People. He also promotes cultural events such as traditional socials and powwows, recently assisting Bowie State University with its inaugural powwow this past November.
Ken Maynor (Lumbee Indian Tribe, Anne Arundel County)
Ken Maynor has a long career in technology sales, with more than 20 years at Intel, where he was a global account manager and senior account executive. He is currently the owner of Stretch Zone franchises in Pikesville and Clarksville.
Tierra Robinson (Piscataway Conoy Tribe – Choptico Band of Indians, Prince George’s County)
Tierra Robinson is an environmental scientist and inspector with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and a former environmental scientist with the National Institutes of Health. While at the National Institutes of Health, she was active with the NIH Chapter of the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science and a member of the Native American Scholars at the National Institutes of Health.
Clarence Tyler (Accohannock Indian Tribe, Somerset County)
Clarence Tyler is the elected chief of the Accohannock Tribe on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, representing the tribe in all tribal issues in Maryland court trials. He is also a former Merchant Marine, and a former correctional officer, a volunteer firefighter, and a certified emergency medical technician.