Bird Runningwater
Cheyenne and Mescalero Apache
Keynote Speaker
Bird Runningwater belongs to the Cheyenne and Mescalero Apache Tribal Nations and was raised on the Mescalero Apache Reservation in New Mexico. He is a Producer and Executive Producer for film and television and most recently entered into an exclusive first-look deal with Amazon Studios. He is currently serving as a Co-Executive Producer on the TV show "Sovereign" currently in development with Ava DuVernay, Warner Brothers Television, and Array Filmworks. He has other projects in development with Showtime Networks and Amazon Studios.
Prior to launching his producing career, Runningwater guided the Sundance Institute’s commitment to Indigenous Filmmakers for 20 years nurturing new generations of filmmakers through the Institute’s Labs and Sundance Film Festival. The films championed by Runningwater have put Indigenous Cinema into the global marketplace. Prior to departing Sundance Institute, Runningwater served as the Director of Sundance Institute’s Indigenous Program; Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; and Artist Programs. Under his tenure 154 different Indigenous filmmakers were mentored and supported through Sundance Labs, Grants, and Fellowships programs. More than 119 films written, directed, and produced by Indigenous filmmakers were curated by Runningwater to premiere at Sundance Film Festival. In the last 10 years of his tenure, Sundance Institute welcomed artists representing more than 95 different Indigenous Nations from around the world into its programs.
Runningwater is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences and serves on the boards of directors of Illuminative and the Arctic Indigenous Film Fund. He was recently appointed to serve on the Library of Congress’ National Film Preservation Board and is a past member of the Board of Jurors for the George Foster Peabody Awards. In Time Magazine’s 2019 Optimist Issue, Runningwater was listed among “12 Leaders Who Are Shaping the Next Generation of Artists''. Last year he was honored by the Los Angeles City/County Native American Indian Commission as the Spirit of Creativity Honoree for Native American Heritage month for his outstanding contributions to Los Angeles’ American Indian and Alaska Native Community and the Los Angeles community at large.
Runningwater began his career in media 26 years ago as a Program Associate for the Media, Arts and Culture Program at the Ford Foundation in New York where he helped fund non-commercial radio, tv and film work across the U.S. and around the world in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Russia. He is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma with degrees in Journalism and Native American Studies, and he received his Master of Public Affairs degree from the University of Texas at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs in Austin.
Lillian Sparks Robinson
Rosebud Sioux
Mistress of Ceremonies
Lillian Sparks Robinson is the CEO and Owner of Wopila Consulting, LLC, an American Indian and woman owned small business that provides a wide range of specialized consulting and strategic development services to federal, state, and tribal government clients.
A member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, Lillian has worked in Washington, D.C. for nearly 20 years, devoting her career to supporting the educational pursuits of Native American students, protecting the rights of indigenous people, and empowering tribal communities. In 2010, Lillian was appointed by President Obama, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, to serve as the Commissioner for the Administration for Native Americans. In this role, she worked on programs and policy impacting Native languages and education, social development, and economic development for American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities. Prior to her service at ANA, Lillian served as the Executive Director of the National Indian Education Association (NIEA), where she worked extensively on education policy and appropriations impacting American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian students. A former staff attorney at the National Congress of American Indians, Lillian has received numerous awards and recognition, including being named as one of seven young Native American Leaders by USA Today Magazine, one of “40 Under 40” from the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development, and American Indian Woman of the Year.
A graduate of Morgan State University and Georgetown University Law Center, Lillian resides in Baltimore, Maryland with her husband, Corey and son, Connor.
DJ Element
Student Social DJ
Native Musician
el•e•ment [el-uh-muhnt] – noun. A component or constituent of a whole or one of the parts into which a whole may be resolved by analysis.
DJ Element is an eclectic DJ from Phoenix, Arizona with a repertoire to encompass hip-hop, funk, soul, neo-soul, reggae, EDM, moombahton, trap, twerk, 80's, electro and everything in between. He has guested at worldwide events and venues in Korea, Japan, United Kingdom, Spain, Italy to name a few. He has opened for heavy hitters such as James Brown, A Tribe Called Quest, Nas, Krs-One, De La Soul, Big Daddy Kane, Rakim, Slick Rick, The Roots, Jane's Addiction, Incubus, and Audioslave. DJ Element was named the B-Boy City King of Scratch Champion in 2019 and recognized in 2015 by the Native American Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona for his contribution and dedication to music. Notably, DJ Element was the official 2020-2021 tour DJ for Supaman. DJ Element is a member of the Salt River Indian Community and began his career in 1996.
Click here to view a complete list of accolades, discography and past events.