Alyce Sadongei (Kiowa/Tohono O'odham) was the first Native American director of the American Indian Museums Study (AIMS) program at the Smithsonian Institution where she laid the foundation for the current training opportunities available at the National Museum of the American Indian. After she left the Smithsonian Institution Alyce worked at the Arizona State Museum (ASM) at the University of Arizona. During her tenure at ASM she led an eight year project that focused on tribal libraries, archives and museums and was implemented in partnership with the Arizona State Library and funded in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. She received the Director’s Chair Award from the Western Museums Association for her contributions to the museum field at a national level. Alyce was the first recipient of a leadership award given by the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries and Museums for her recognized leadership in assisting tribal communities throughout all discipline areas of archives, museums and libraries. She is currently the Project Coordinator for the American Indian Language Development Institute (AILDI) at the University of Arizona.
