The National Indian Council on Aging (NICOA) is governed by a 13-member board of directors composed of American Indian and Alaska Native elders representing each of the 12 Bureau of Indian Affairs regions, as well as a representative of the National Association of Title VI Grantees. The regions are: Alaska, Eastern, Great Plains, Midwest, Navajo, Northwest, Eastern Oklahoma, Pacific, Rocky Mountain, Southern Plains, Southwest and Western.
The roles and responsibilities of board members include: (1) ensuring the organization’s mission and purpose are realized; (2) supporting and evaluating the executive director’s performance; (3) ensuring the organization has adequate resources through fundraising to carry out its mission; (4) monitoring the allocation of these resources and ensuring the legal and ethical integrity of the organization; (5) representing the organization at local, regional and national events; (6) working cooperatively with fellow board members to proactively represent the elders from the area in which they were elected; and (7) avoiding conflicts of interest between the work of NICOA and other organizations to which they belong.
| BIA Recognized Areas | Regional Representative | Tribal Affiliation | Term |
Executive Committee — Officers
| Northwest Region | James DeLaCruz, Sr., Chairman | Quinault Indian Nation | 2016-2020 |
| Eastern Region | Eddie Tullis, Vice Chairman | Poarch Band of Creek Indians | 2016-2020 |
| Southern Plains Region | Billie Tohee, Secretary | Otoe-Missouria Tribe of Indians, Oklahoma | 2018-2022 |
| Pacific Region | Benjamin Charley, Treasurer | Big Sandy Rancheria of Western Mono Indians of CA | 2018-2022 |
Board Members
| Alaska Region | Edna Riley | Athabascan | 2018-2022 |
| Eastern Oklahoma Region | Lillian Thomas | Muscogee (Creek) Nation | 2016-2020 |
| Great Plains Region | Martha Renville | Sisseton-Wahpeton | 2018-2022 |
| Midwest Region | Mary Jo Hunter | Ho-Chunk Nation | 2018-2022 |
| Navajo Region | Ralph Bennett, Jr. | Navajo Nation | 2016-2020 |
| Southwest Region | Lucia Trujillo | Sandia Pueblo | 2018-2022 |
| Western Region | Phyllis Antone | Gila River Indian Community | 2016-2020 |
| Rocky Mountain Region | VACANT | ||
| Title VI Assn. | VACANT | Association | Independent Term |
