Deborah Parker

Deborah Parker “tsicyaltsa” (she/her) is a well-respected mother, leader, and citizen of the Tulalip Tribes. She is also of Yaqui and Apache descent on her mother’s side. She joined NABS as the Director of Policy and Advocacy in May of 2021. Prior to her role as Director, she helped coordinate and host our 2019 2ndAnnual Conference: Honoring Native Survivance in Tulalip, WA. Motivated to help tribal elders during the pandemic, Deborah, along with several volunteers, organized the “We Love You” Elders Care packages for U.S. boarding school survivors with the goal of delivering 1,000 packages on behalf of NABS. Her lifelong goal has been to honor and uplift her Indigenous way of life. She comes with over 25 years of national and international legislative, policy and advocacy experience. Deborah’s previous roles include: the TWN Executive Director of Residential School Healing in British Columbia, Canada; Government Affairs Policy Analyst for the Tulalip Tribes; Senior Policy Advisor at Pipestem Law, and Director of Equity, Diversity & Indigenous education in the Marysville school district. Deborah was also instrumental in passing state and federal legislation including the Violence Against Women Act passed in 2013. She was a Board Member for the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center for 8 years and a frequent keynote speaker on the restoration of tribal law and sovereignty, education, safety for Indigenous Nations and environmental protections. Her work has been recognized and acknowledged across the globe notably in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.