Dackota Natasha Nicole York

Dackota York is a tribal governance and infrastructure strategist whose work centers on Indigenous sovereignty, land stewardship, and community development. A former Chairwoman of the Fort McDermitt Paiute-Shoshone Tribe, she quickly emerged as a respected voice in tribal politics through her ability to build relationships across federal, state, and tribal governments. During her tenure, she led through complex governance and crisis-management challenges, including coordinating responses during an E. coli water contamination event and advancing negotiations tied to the Thacker Pass lithium project. Her leadership emphasized accountability, transparency, and ensuring tribal voices remained central in decisions impacting ancestral homelands, cultural resources, water, and traditional medicines. Throughout her career, Dackota has focused on strengthening tribal capacity while navigating the intersection of energy development, infrastructure, and cultural preservation. She played a key role in negotiations surrounding major lithium mining projects, helping establish cultural resource monitoring agreements, advancing tribal consultation processes, and advocating for equitable economic development opportunities for tribal communities. In addition to her governance work, she has collaborated with sister tribes through organizations such as the Upper Snake River Tribes Foundation and has supported initiatives ranging from clean-energy planning to the development of a Shoshoni language revitalization pilot program in partnership with Boise State University. Her work reflects a commitment to balancing economic opportunity with long-term cultural and environmental stewardship. Today, Dackota continues her work as a consultant and liaison supporting tribes, nonprofits, and public-sector initiatives through contracts with organizations including Lupine & Associates. She advises on tribal engagement, energy sovereignty, civic outreach, and community-based programs while also contributing to statewide political outreach efforts and moderating tribal town halls. A graduate of Western Governors University with both bachelor’s and master’s degrees, she also completed Arizona State University’s Indigenous Leadership Academy, where she presented a proposal for a Tribal Utility Authority focused on advancing energy sovereignty in underserved tribal communities. As she works toward launching her own LLC, Dackota remains dedicated to amplifying Indigenous voices, building sustainable partnerships, and creating long-term opportunities for future generations.