President: Rani Williams

Rani is a Senior Policy Advisor at Clause Law PLLC. Previously, she served as a Legislative Assistant for Representative Sharice Davids handling Indian Country issues and as Democratic Director for the Congressional Native American Caucus. She earned her B.A. from the University of Washington and her J.D. from Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University with a Certificate in Indian Law.

President-Elect:
Amber Holland

Brown Bag & Mentorship Chair; Holiday Party Co-Chair

Amber is an enrolled citizen of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina and an associate at Big Fire Law & Policy Group, LLP. 

Amber earned her JD and the Indian Law Certificate at the University of New Mexico School of Law in 2020. She completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Studies Education with a minor in American Indian Studies in 2007 and Master of Arts in Social Studies Education in 2012, both at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. She served two terms as an Area Representative for the National Native American Law Students Association. Ms. Holland is a former Wilma Mankiller Fellow at the National Congress of American Indians and high school teacher in the state of North Carolina

Treasurer: Taylour A. Boboltz

Taylour is an associate at Hobbs, Straus, Dean & Walker, LLP.  She earned her B.A. from the University of Michigan (’15) and J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School (’21), and she is serving her second year as Treasurer on the NABA-DC Board. 

 Originally from a small town in Northeast Michigan, her interest in working with Tribal Nations stems from her grandmother’s experiences with the Lac La Ronge Indian Band in Grandmother’s Bay, Saskatchewan. Taylour worked with Tribal Nations in multiple fields throughout her undergraduate and pre-law school career, and considers it an honor and privilege to continue that work in the legal sphere, including through NABA-DC.   

Bar Liaison: Julia Giffin

Julia Giffin is a member of the Sac and Fox Nation of Oklahoma. Before law school, Julia attended the Pre-Law Summer Institute (PLSI) at the American Indian Law Center, Inc. She returned as a Teaching Assistant at PLSI while in law school. She received her J.D. from Cornell Law. While at Cornell, she served as the President of her local Native American Law Students Association chapter and as the Secretary of the National Native American Law Students Association. After law school Julia worked in private practice at a law firm representing Native American Tribes on a variety of matters. She now works as an Attorney Advisor for the Office of Tribal Justice at the U.S. Department of Justice where she focuses on civil and appellate matters. 

Secretary: Jared Crum

Jared Crum is a member of the Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma. He defends federal and tribal sovereignty over natural resources as a Trial Attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice, Environment and Natural Resources Division, Indian Resources Section. Jared previously worked as an associate at the law firm Hogan Lovelis, representing clients including Indian tribes and clean energy companies, and clerked for Judge Diana clerked for Judge Diana Saldaña of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. Jared’s work has earned him recognition on the D.C. Courts’ 2019 and 2020 Capital Pro Bono Honor Roll, a 2020 fellowship with the New Leaders Council, and a 2023 DOJ Division Award. He has presented at conferences on constitutional and federal Indian law and judged the National Native American Students Association Moot Court Competition. Jared earned a BA from Amherst College and a JD from Stanford Law School. He grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

At-Large Board Members

Serena Steiner – Social Chair; Holiday Party Co-Chair

  • Serena Steiner is a proud member of the Navajo Nation and has lived in the DMV off and on since childhood. She has worked at boutique law firms specializing in immigration and family law as a paralegal before working within the Navajo Nation Washington Office and focusing on indian law issues with Peebles Kidder, LLP. Outside of the office she enjoys camping, hiking, traveling and walks with her senior pup Bianca.

Brittany Habbart – PR Chair

  • Brittany Habbart (Caddo Nation of Oklahoma) is a law clerk at Kutak Rock LLP starting September 2023. Brittany is a recent graduate of Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. During law school she interned with the Department of the Interior, Office of the Solicitor, Division of Indian Affairs; Kutak Rock; Clark Hill; and the Superior Court of Arizona. Prior to law school, Habbart interned for former Congresswoman Deb Haaland through the Native American Political Leadership Program and was a 2019-2020 Wilma Mankiller Fellow at the National Congress of American Indians. 

Jared Hautamaki

  • Jared Hautamaki is a Senior Advisor and attorney at the Bureau of Indian Education. He previously served on the White House Council on Native American Affairs, leading efforts protecting tribal treaty rights and sacred sites.  He is a former EPA enforcement attorney and served for five years as a legislative staffer to Congressman John Conyers, Jr.  He currently serves as an appellate judge for the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians.  He has Juris Doctor from the University of Arizona and a Masters of Laws in International Aviation and Outer Space Law from McGill University.  

Morgan Saunders

  • Morgan E. Saunders is a staff attorney in the D.C. office of the Native American Rights Fund where she focuses on cases related to civil rights and religious freedom.  She also supports the Tribal Supreme Court Project.  Morgan is a member of the D.C. and New Hampshire Bar Associations.  She received her J.D. from Columbia Law School where she served as an Articles Editor on the Columbia Law Review.  For her undergraduate studies, Morgan attended the University of Vermont.  She is originally from New Hampshire.

Heather Kirk

  • Heather, an enrolled member of the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, is a nonprofit attorney who mentors pro bono attorneys through their cases.

    Heather is licensed to practice in Maryland, the United States District Court for the District of Maryland, and the United States Supreme Court. Heather received her juris doctor from Western Michigan University Cooley Law School and her Bachelor of Science from Towson University. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking or running, Baltimore teams, and concerts. 

Xavier Barraza

  • Xavier is an enrolled member of the Hopland Band of Pomo Indians and a Senior Associate Attorney and lobbyist at Peebles Kidder Bergin & Robinson, LLP. He has been on the NABA-DC Board for over eight years and is a past president of the NABA-DC. He has over 15 years of policy and legal experience representing tribal governments. His broad expertise encompasses Indian housing, tax, finance, land acquisitions, natural and environmental resources, economic development, tribal codes and ordinances, litigation, and veterans’ affairs.

Maurisa Bell

  • Maurisa has focused her career on federal Indian law, including federal recognition, lands claims issues, and fee-to-trust.  She has experience assisting clients advocating before federal agencies and Congress.  Maurisa is an associate attorney at Patterson, Earnhart, Real Bird & Wilson LLP. 

    Maurisa was raised in Wyoming and is a member of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe.

Leslie Wheelock

Laura Powell