ANNAPOLIS, MD — Governor Wes Moore today announced appointments to the Maryland Commission on Indian Affairs. The appointments, made in partnership with tribal leaders and councils, increase representation of Maryland’s indigenous communities and the geography of the state.
The Maryland Commission on Indian Affairs was created in 1974 as part of the
Commission on African American and Indian History and Culture. Since 2008, it has been part of the
Governor's Office of Community Initiatives. From the start, the Commission has worked to facilitate the process of obtaining state and federal recognition for Maryland’s indigenous tribes and communities, as well as collecting data on and promoting awareness of the historic and contemporary contributions of Maryland’s American Indian and indigenous communities.
“I am so grateful for the commission appointees answering the call to serve,” said Gov. Moore. “Representation for Maryland’s American Indian, indigenous, and tribal communities is vital for the success of our state. We will continue to work in partnership to support and ensure the wellbeing of indigenous Marylanders.”
The Commission consists of nine members, a majority of whom must be members of the tribal communities of the state and at least three must be members of tribal communities that are indigenous to Maryland. The newly appointed members of the Maryland Commission on Indian Affairs, which include two at-large members, represent seven of Maryland’s tribal communities and seven Maryland counties. All of the newly appointed members were nominated by tribal leaders and councils.
The new appointees include:
Anne-Marie Auld is a member of the Navajo Nation and an at-large member of the commission. She is a budget analyst with the U.S. Department of the Interior-Bureau of Indian Affairs and a community organizer for Howard County government focused on the celebration and education of American Indian and indigenous culture. She helped establish Indigenous People’s Day in Howard County and has been recognized for her Native American advocacy work, including efforts to ensure American Indians in Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia received COVID-19 vaccines.
Tom Bradshaw is a member of the Nause-Waiwash Band of Indians and 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.
Lawrence Dunmore is a member of the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation and is an at-large member of the commission. He 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.
Norris Howard, Jr. is a member of Pocomoke Indian Nation and 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 is a member of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe and is supported by Chief Mark Tayac of the Piscataway Indian Nation. He is 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 is a member of the Lumbee Tribe who 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 is a member of the Piscataway Conoy Choptico Band and is an environmental scientist and inspector with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and 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.
Tiara Thomas is a member of the Piscataway Conoy tribe and was re-appointed to serve a second term on the commission. Tiara is currently working with the University of Maryland to document the history of the Piscataway and was instrumental in establishing the Yahentamitsi Dining Hall at the University of Maryland, College Park and launching the Southern Maryland National Heritage Area.
Clarence Tyler is the elected chief of the Accohannock Tribe on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, representing the tribe on all tribal issues in Maryland court trials. He is also a former Merchant Marine, and a former correctional officer, volunteer firefighter and certified emergency medical technician.