The Northwest Tribes have long recognized the need to exercise control over the design and development of health care delivery systems in their local communities. To this end, they formed the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board (also referred to as NPAIHB or “the Board”) in 1972.

Guided by a vision of “Health and Wellness for the Seventh Generation,” NPAIHB is a 501(c)3 designated (non-profit) organization and Tribal organization, P.L. 93-638, under the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (ISDEAA) serving the 43 federally recognized Tribes in the states of Idaho, Oregon, and Washington (Northwest Tribes). Tribes become voting members of the Board through resolutions passed by their governing body. Each member Tribe designates a delegate to serve on the NPAIHB Board of Directors.

Led by our Board of Directors, NPAIHB’s mission is to “eliminate health disparities and improve the quality of life of American Indians and Alaska Natives by supporting Northwest Tribes in their delivery of culturally appropriate, high-quality health programs and services.” We have a staff of over 120 professionals dedicated to advancing Tribal health for the 7th generation in the Pacific Northwest.

Position Summary

The Food Sovereignty Initiatives Project Specialist’s (FS Project Specialist) primary responsibility is to oversee the Northwest Tribal Food Sovereignty Initiative, including the Wellness for Every American Indian to Achieve and View Health Equity (WEAVE-NW) Tribal Food Sovereignty grantees, food sovereignty activities, and Northwest Tribal Food Sovereignty coalition.

Responsibilities include developing, coordinating, and facilitating meetings, conferences, and trainings, coordinating the strategic planning and implementation of workplans and future external funding opportunities, providing food sovereignty grantee oversight, providing tribes with subject matter expertise (specifically around food systems, food sovereignty, access to food, and traditional food topics), supporting the budget management for food sovereignty initiative events, and providing overall project support as needed.

This position is also responsible for collaborating with other WEAVE-NW team members for projects related to food sovereignty (such as food-related issues around diabetes, nutrition, diet and exercise, tobacco, and chronic disease prevention).

Under the guidance of the WEAVE-NW Project Director, the FS Project Specialist also collaborates with other NPAIHB staff members, including fellow WEAVE-NW team members and the Project Director Evaluator to achieve the goals and objectives of assigned subawards.

The Food Sovereignty Initiatives Project Specialist serves on the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board’s WEAVE-NW team of public health professionals which manage and facilitate the strategies and activities under the Good Health and Wellness in Indian Country (GHWIC) initiative. The Food Sovereignty Initiative Project Specialist reports to the WEAVE-NW Project Director. This scope of work is housed within the NW Tribal Epidemiology Center (“NW-TEC” or “EpiCenter”) Division. This position is based at NPAIHB’s offices in Portland, Oregon. Local travel and/or overnight travel outside of the area is required approximately 10% of the time, mostly within the service area.

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