Founder / Binational Community Advisor

Ana Gloria Rodriguez is the founder of Tipey Joa and has dedicated years to helping indigenous communties north and south of the border. Martha as her friends call her is a member of the Kumiai Nation from San Jose de la Zorra also known as Mat Perhaw. Martha has a B.A. in Native American Studies as well as a Masters in Education Leadership. Her drive and passion has led her to fight for indigenous rights, and to improving binational relationships while empowering indigenous communities.

Administrative Support Specialist

Amanda is a SDSU alumni with a bachelors in Psychology. Originally from Tucson AZ with Yaqui roots, her and her family moved to San Diego when she was very young. She has been involved with the Kumeyaay community for several years, first as a student, hired as an intern and now currently as the college coordinator. She is very passionately about the well being of others and strives to help the community in anyway she can.

Director of Education

Dr. Stanley Rodriguez, member of the Kumeyaay Santa Ysabel Band of the Iipay Nation is an educator, language teacher, and tribal singer. He is an advocate for his community’s culture and traditions and serves in a number of advising and teaching roles in the San Diego and Native Kumeyaay communities. Stanley is a US Navy veteran, has an MA in Human Behavior worked as a Drug and Alcohol Abuse Counselor and has his PhD in Higher Education from UCSD.

Office Manager / Baja Region

Guadalupe’s artisan skills span over 27 years of creating traditional regalia, she is a member of the Kumiai Nation from San Jose de la Zorra. She has completed training in the Civil Protection program by Civil Protection of Ensenada in Natural Disasters and also holds a background in Tax Accounting. She is an active participant in the working groups of the Yumanos and Cochimi groups of B.C. as well as the National Electoral Institute for indigenous peoples.

Queenette Pettiford wii ne'chuu'hii. Sycuan e'mat kopa'i. Cuero/Hyde nyapoom Watchena mokinyawaay. Nii'cus Bernice Hyde nyapoom Nii'tel Yvonne Adkins nyapoom Nii'tat Michael Pettiford. Ushin wa quinyulii heshein hawak wiet FuaLosa nyapoom Starphire.

I have been working for my Tribe since I was 15 years old, starting as a file clerk in the Sycuan Gaming Commission and I now serve as Chairwoman/Commissioner. Throughout my career, I have helped my Tribe to maintain a positive regulatory relationship with Tribal, Federal, State and local agencies. I have chaired multiple committees and collaborated on various impactful documents. Most recently I was honored with the opportunity to be a Board Member for the Tipey Joa Organization. The passion and commitment derived from Tipey Joa continues to inspire my goal of sustaining Tribal sovereignty and cultural integrity.

Lios enchim aniavu. My family comes from Sonora and Guanajuato, as well as San Diego. I am Yaqui and Guamare, and I have spent my life growing up within the beautiful landscapes and communities on both sides of the border, which has deeply shaped my connection to culture, land, and environmental stewardship. I hold Associate degrees in Kumeyaay Studies and Sustainable Agriculture, along with a certification in Environmental Education, and she is currently completing my Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science. After I hope to pursue a master’s degree focused on nonprofit leadership and natural resources.

I am deeply committed to advocating for Indigenous communities and believe that Indigenous rights and sustainability are inseparable. Protecting Indigenous cultures, lands, languages, and traditional ecological knowledge is essential to creating a more sustainable and equitable future for generations to come.

Veronica comes from the Kumiai Nation of San Jose de la Zorra, located in a very remote area of Baja California. She grew up surrounded by the natural mountains and landscapes and she has lived there her whole life. Veronica is a skilled artisan making traditional Kumiai basketry using native plant species such as juncus, willow, or pine needles which are grown and collected on the reservation.

She has participated in annual culural events in Baja which showcases her work, as well as countless events right here in San Diego. She is dedicated to preserving her tribes cultural heritage and teaching indigenous allies about Kumiai history.

Resource Economist

Michael is a citizen of the Campo Kumeyaay Nation.  He has worked for over 30 years in policy, traditional ecological knowledge and history. He has written extensively on tribal economics, Kumeyaay history, cosmology and resource management.  His design work has been honored by the San Diego Architectural Foundation and the San Diego Chapter of the American Concrete Institute.  His work has appeared at the National Museum of the American Indian and the San Diego Museum of Us.  In 2006 he received the John Montgomery Education Award by the Congress of History of San Diego and Imperial Counties.

Michael has degrees in engineering, economics and anthropology. He is a PhD candidate in Sociocultural Anthropology at UCSD and a policy consultant to Southern California Tribal Chairmen’s Association.   

Wildlife Biologist

Conor is a Yaqui wildlife biologist and organizer located in San Diego CA and Tucson AZ. He has a bachelors in Native American Studies, a Masters of Science in Natural Resources, and is currently studying for his PhD in wildlife conservation.

He has worked in a broad range of fields along the interface of racial equity, environmental justice and ecology. His masters research involved mapping water sources for wildlife along the US Mexico border and managing data from dozens of remote cameras and field sites. He has served as a coordinator for native youth programs, a park ranger for San Diego county, Environmental assistant for the Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel, LANDBACK Organizer for NDN Collective, cultural gardener for the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, and most recently as a wildlife biologist for the United States Geological Survey. He believes strongly in fighting for the rights of Indigenous people to caretake their own land through traditional practices and comprehensive scientific methodologies.

Director of Cultural Affairs Baja

Gregorio Montes is a prominent traditional leader and political advocate for the Kumiai people in Baja California, Mexico. As a diplomatic representative for the Kumeyaay Nation, he engages with government leaders to advocate for indigenous rights, resource protection, and the inclusion of Tipai perspectives in regional policy-making. He is the national advisor to the CDI (Commission for the Development of Indigenous Peoples), representing the interests of the Kumiai at the federal level in Mexico.