Joseph Albert Dear Distinguished Alumni Award

2026 Recipient:
Loni Grinnell-Greninger (“yúčciʔə”)

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Loni Grinnell-Greninger (“yúčciʔə”) has been serving as Tribal Vice Chairwoman of the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe since January 2020, and as the Tribe’s Culture Director since December 2023. Her educational background includes a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Pacific Lutheran University (2012), and a Master of Public Administration with an emphasis in Tribal Governance from The Evergreen State College (2016).

Professionally, she has worked in position within the State of Washington and the Jamestown Tribe: two years with the Washington State Department of Social & Health Services as an Office of Indian Policy Regional Manager; two years as a Statewide Tribal Liaison for Behavioral Health; six years as the Deputy Director and then Director of Jamestown’s Social Services Department; and three years as the Director of the Tribe’s Culture Department. All these positions have led to opportunities for building relationships with the greater community and non-native governments through partnerships, education, and policy. As a result of relationship, she works to increase access to local, state, and federal resources and services for American Indians and Alaska Natives.

In her Culture Department role, she helps facilitate classes and events, as well as overseeing the amazing staff who provide the Tribe with Traditional Foods and Cultural programming. Some of these programs include language, song and dance, arts, ceremony, repatriation, education to the greater community, Canoe Journey, gardening, and refamiliarizing the tribal community with traditional foods (from seeding, to harvesting, to processing, to ceremony and consumption).