Who We ARe

(Pawnee)

SISC Interim Executive Director

Colleen Echohawk is a visionary leader, entrepreneur, and advocate dedicated to economic equity, generational wealth building, and social justice. An enrolled member of the Kithehaki Band of the Pawnee Nation and Upper Athabascan people of Mentasta Lake, she blends advocacy with innovative leadership.

As Principal and Co-Founder of Headwater People Consulting, she helps organizations drive community-centered change. In early 2025, she stepped down as CEO of Eighth Generation to launch two businesses focused on Indigenous entrepreneurship. She also serves as Interim Executive Director of the Seattle Indian Services Commission, overseeing major housing initiatives.

Previously, as CEO of Eighth Generation and Executive Director of Chief Seattle Club, she expanded economic opportunities for Indigenous artists and led nearly $100 million in affordable housing projects. Recognized as one of Seattle Magazine’s Most Influential People, she has received numerous awards for her dedication to equity, housing, and Native communities.

(Inupiaq)

SISC Development Manager

Demarus Tevuk is an Inupiaq woman from Nome, Alaska and as a consultant she specializes in community engagement projects utilizing Indigenous research methodology for the Seattle urban Native and Indigenous community. Her work Indigenizes processes by centering cultural values and uplifting traditional knowledge. She is deeply committed to creating safe, welcoming, and healing community spaces for urban Native and Indigenous people.

Demarus serves as the Development Manager for the Seattle Indian Services Commission and she is a 2024 Housing Equity Accelerator Cohort member. As a member of sləp̓iləbəxw (Rising Tides) - Indigenous Planning Group, Demarus has conducted several community participatory research projects including the Native Neighborhood Community Study, Native Neighborhood Case Study on Community Wealth Building, Native and Indigenous Community Input Report - Seattle Transportation Plan, Native and Indigenous Foods Listening Session Report, and Indigenous Housing and Planning.

Demarus Tevuk is also an environmental educator with expertise in traditional ecological knowledge, native plants, and native pollinators. Demarus earned her degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Washington, and she enjoys sharing her capstone research on the definition of traditional sustainable values and sustainability from the Indigenous perspective. Demarus serves on the board of The Common Acre, a local non-profit that restores relationships between people and the land through ecology, agriculture, and art. She supports The Common Acre’s camas prairie efforts at various sites in South Seattle.

(African American)

SISC Staff — Loan Executive

Director of African American Initiatives Catholic Community Services of Western Washington

Kenny Pittman has been serving SISC in a volunteer role for at least twenty-years and SISC is extremely grateful for all of his support. As a loaned executive through Catholic Community Services of WesternWA (CCSWW), Kenny shares his industry knowledge and experience in the management of non-profit orgs and public development authorities. Kenny has been supporting the efforts of the Communities of Concern Commission, Historic Seattle, and the African American Elders Program at CCSWW.

(Blackfeet and Kainai Blood Band)

SISC Administrative Coordinator