John Echohawk
Native American Rights Fund

John Echohawk, Pawnee, is the Executive Director of the Native American Rights Fund, the national Indian legal defense fund. He was the first graduate of the University of New Mexico’s special program to train Indian lawyers, was a founding member of the American Indian Law Students Association and the National Native American Bar Association. John has been with NARF since its inception in 1970, having served continuously as Executive Director since 1977.

He has been recognized as one of the 100 most influential lawyers in America by the National Law Journal. He serves on the Boards of the Association on American Indian Affairs, the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development, the Indigenous Language Institute, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Grand Canyon Trust.