DAWN SHERMAN

Dawn Sherman (Lakota, Shawnee, and Delaware) is Executive Director of Tanka Fund, bringing more than 30 years of business and entrepreneurial experience to Native-led economic development. She leads strategic initiatives that strengthen enterprises, expand regenerative agriculture, and restore buffalo herds to Native lands. A member of the Delaware Tribe of Indians of Bartlesville, Dawn represents her tribe on the InterTribal Buffalo Council, is a founding board member of The Regenerative Agriculture Alliance, and serves on the board of the American Woolen Company, advancing market-based solutions that benefit Native communities and cultural resilience.

Dawn’s commitment to Indigenous rights and cultural resilience is rooted in her family: her parents were active in the American Indian Movement, teaching her the importance of direct action, community organizing, and cultural reclamation. She carries that legacy forward through her work—protecting people, land, and traditional ways of life by restoring buffalo to Native territories, building regenerative food systems, and strengthening tribal sovereignty for future generations