Strategic Leadership
I speak to funders, boards, and movement audiences about how power and funding actually move. Two decades of practice.
Core Topics
Philanthropy
Funding as a responsibility, not a gift. Rooted practice in equity and shared responsibility.
Sovereignty
Tribal Nations as governments. Strategic infrastructure for access and governance.
Civic Power
Strategy, narrative, and infrastructure for Native-led civic engagement and movement building.
Leadership
The discipline of leadership and repair. Moving power and funding with responsibility.
Access
Funding access for Tribal Nations and Native-led organizations through strategic infrastructure.
Themes
Funding as Responsibility
Clarifying how power and funding move through practice, not talking points.
Sovereignty as Governance
Understanding Tribal Nations as rights-holders with governance, not stakeholders.
Indigenous-led Systems Change
Building infrastructure for Native-led civic engagement and movement building.
Equity-rooted Philanthropy
Rooted practice in equity and shared responsibility for Indigenous Peoples.
Leadership and Repair
The discipline of leadership and repair for movement building and governance.
Professional Bio
Dawn Knickerbocker is a strategic leader in philanthropy and sovereignty. As Principal of In Our Ways Strategy Group, she guides funders and conveners toward a more equitable and Indigenous-led future. Her work focuses on the intersection of governance, infrastructure, and civic power, ensuring that funding moves with the responsibility it carries.