Board of Trustees
Northwest Indian College is a Tribally controlled college chartered by the Lummi Nation. A seven-member Board of Trustees governs Northwest Indian College. All trustees apply to and are appointed by the Lummi Indian Business Council.
Chair, Kristin Kinley, Chetopia, Lummi
Ms. Kinley is the Office Manager for the Lummi Education Division. Ms. Kinley has worked for the Lummi Indian Business Council for the past 25 years. Her past administrative and finance experience for the Lummi Indian Business Council (LIBC) includes working for the General Manager’s Office, the Finance Division, Health Care, and the Education Division. She currently serves on the Lummi Health and Family Commission and the Budget and Finance Committee for the Lummi Nation. Ms. Kinley holds an Associate of Technical Arts Degree in Business Management from Northwest Indian College and continues with her studies at Western Washington University.
Secretary, Jana Finkbonner, Lummi
Ms. Finkbonner is the Director of the North InterTribal Vocational Rehabilitation Program, an agency that serves six Tribes. Past positions held include: Assistant Director for Family Services; Employment and Training Center Director; and various student services positions at NWIC. She has a BA in Human Services from Western Washington University and an AAS Transfer Degree from Northwest Indian College.
Vice Chair, Vacant
Laural Ballew, Swinomish
Ses Yehomia and tsi kats but soot, Laural Ballew is a member of the Swinomish Tribe and Executive Director of American Indian/Alaska Native First Nation Relations and Tribal Liaison to the President at Western Washington University. Previous to Western she was the Department Chair for Tribal Governance and Business Management at Northwest Indian College. She holds an AAS degree in Business Management from Northwest Indian College, BA degree in American Cultural Studies from Western Washington University, MPA – Tribal Governance from Evergreen State College and is currently working on a PhD in Indigenous Development and Advancement with Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiarangi.
Barbara Juarez, Lummi
Ms. Juarez serves as the Executive Director for the Northwest Washington Indian Health Board. A citizen of the Lummi Nation, mother of three, grandmother and great-grandmother. Barbara has spent her entire career working with and for the purpose of improving the lives of Native Americans. She is the co-chair of the Northwest Indian College Institutional Review Board. She is an active member of the Whatcom County Public Health Advisory Board as well as the Mt. Baker Foundation. She holds a BA in Medical Management from the University of Washington.
LIBC Representative, William Earl Jones Jr., Lummi
William Earl Jones Jr., ancestral name Sal’hal’mes, is the son of the late Willie Jones Sr. and Josie Jones. He is the grandson of the late Earl Jones and Mildred (Ross) Jones and the late Ernest Jefferson and Evelyn (Williams) Jefferson. William has built a beautiful life with his wife Regina. He is a proud father to three daughters and two sons and a proud grandfather to two grandsons and one granddaughter. His family's teaching, values, and beliefs have shaped who he is today, and his family and Lummi people are of the utmost importance to him.
William has been on the tribal council for two years, currently serving as the Lummi Indian Business Council (LIBC) Secretary. He has previously held the positions of LIBC Chairman and LIBC Treasurer. His late father, Willie Jones Sr., dedicated 30+ years to the Lummi people by serving on the Lummi Indian Business Council. His late grandfather Ernest Jefferson also served on the tribal council during William's childhood. Through their teachings, he learned the skills and tools needed to serve the people and the responsibility required to serve as a LIBC council member. He is also a lifelong fisherman proud to call the Salish Sea home and understands the importance of protecting and fighting for our Treaty Rights. His passions include advocating for youth wellness, prevention, and education.