Board Member
Past Program Officer at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Dr. Valorie Huff Johnson (Seneca-Cayuga, Eastern Band of Cherokees) has been nationally recognized as an education consultant and philanthropic strategist whose career has been dedicated to strengthening Indigenous communities through education, leadership development, Native language revitalization, cultural preservation, and the arts. During her 24 years as a Program Officer at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, she helped direct philanthropic investments that generated millions of dollars in support for Tribal Nations, Tribal Colleges and Universities, Native-led organizations, cultural centers, early childhood initiatives, and community-based education across the United States.
Earlier in her career, Dr. Johnson served as Director of Native American Affairs for the State of Michigan, held national leadership positions with the National Education Association, and served as a counselor at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe and Kamehameha Schools in Hawaiʻi. She is a Kellogg National Leadership Fellow and earned her doctorate in Educational Administration from Michigan State University, master’s and bachelor’s degrees from the University of Hawaiʻi, and an honorary bachelor’s degree from Salish Kootenai College in Montana.
Dr. Johnson has served on numerous national boards and advisory groups, including Americans for Indian Opportunity, the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, Native Americans in Philanthropy, the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation, and Multi-Indigenous Community Action (MICA). In 2026, she received ATALM’s Lifetime Achievement Award and is honored to serve on the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums Board of Directors.