ABOUT

Dr. Joannie M. Suina (Pueblo of Cochiti) is the founder and lead strategist of Corn Pollen Consulting, LLC, a Native woman-owned firm dedicated to advancing Indigenous-led work in policy, communications, and healing-centered leadership. As Corn Pollen Consulting approaches its 10-year anniversary, her work reflects nearly a decade of walking alongside Tribal Nations, organizations, and partners to build strategies rooted in culture, community, and sovereignty—helping to raise over $10 million for Native initiatives along the way.

She currently serves as the Assistant Secretary for Native American Early Childhood Education and Care at the New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department, where she leads statewide efforts in partnership with all 23 Nations, Pueblos, and Tribes. In this role, she guides the nation’s first state-level office dedicated exclusively to Native early childhood systems, advancing language revitalization, workforce development, and government-to-government relationships that honor Tribal sovereignty.

Her journey has taken her across philanthropy, education, and national advocacy spaces, including work in Washington, D.C., where she has supported Indigenous-led policy, research, and healing efforts tied to Indian boarding school history and beyond.

Dr. Suina holds a Doctor of Education, a Master of Jurisprudence in Indian Law, and a Bachelor of Arts in Native American Studies. At the center of everything she does is her family—she is a proud wife and mother of four teenagers, and it is through them that her work remains grounded in love, responsibility, and the future of our communities.