Nikki Santos

Nikki Santos is executive director at the Center for Native American Youth at the Aspen Institute, where she was previously acting director, associate director, and a program manager. Before that, she served in several capacities at the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, including student success program director, leader of federal-tribal relations, and student outreach coordinator. She also worked at the National Indian Gaming Association. A member of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe and descendent of chiefs including Chief Spokane, Santos’s passion is supporting Native youth and youth-led programming. Her service includes the Partnership with Native Americans Board of Directors, the Aspen Institute’s Forum on Women and Girls (co-chair) and K12 Climate Action initiative, Doris Duke Charitable Fund’s Indigenous Peoples Portfolio, REI’s Co-Op Action Fund, Pinterest Inclusion Advisory Council, and the Miss Indian World Pageant Gathering of Nations Pow-wow.