Dr. Dorene P. Wiese

Chief Executive Officer,

American Indian Association of Illinois

Dr. Dorene P. Wiese (she/her/hers), an Ojibwe tribal member, is chief executive officer of the American Indian Association of Illinois, an urban-based nonprofit dedicated to transforming American Indian education into an experience founded in Native culture, language, and history.

Wiese is a political strategist, educator, organizer, artist, media agent, and leader in the Urban American Indian movement. She is a founding member of the Chicago American Indian Community Collaborative. In 1972, she became the first American Indian filmmaker in Chicago.

Photo by Felton Edward Kizer