Our Team.
As a Native woman-owned firm, we are proud to lead a fully Native team with deep experience working directly with Tribal Leaders, Tribal Citizens, and Native Nations. With backgrounds in political leadership, our team brings expertise in policy development, governing document reform, conflict resolution, and citizen engagement. Beyond professional accomplishments in Tribal governance, each member has intentionally aligned their educational journeys to serve Native Nations, making them a powerful and dynamic force in advancing and protecting Tribal Sovereignty.
Our Story
Get to Know Crystal
Crystal Miller, PhD, is an enrolled citizen of the Walker River Paiute Tribe and the sole owner of Sovereignty First, a Native woman-owned consulting firm dedicated to advancing Tribal sovereignty and strengthening Tribal governance.
Dr. Miller earned her doctorate from the University of Arizona, where her scholarship focused on Federal Indian Law and Policy, Tribal Constitution Reform, and the structural transformation of Tribal governance systems. Her research interrogated how federal Indian policies, both restrictive and regulatory, shape the capacity of Native Nations to assert their inherent sovereignty.
Deeply invested in the protection of Tribal lands and resources, Dr. Miller continues to engage in legal and political advocacy to ensure that Tribal interests are centered in decisions made by external agencies that impact Native lands. She has led constitution and governing document reform processes that elevate Tribal values, align with community priorities, and reject imposed colonial governance frameworks.
Dr. Miller has testified before the state senate, led consultations, and provided federal agency trainings on government-to-government protocols. She has authored and implemented law and order codes that formalize Tribal consultation processes, and has supported numerous Native Nations in strengthening their governance structures through strategic planning, organizational reform, and sovereignty-affirming initiatives.
What sets Dr. Miller apart is her ability to bridge academia and practice. She not only studies Tribal governance, she lives it. Her work integrates Indigenous methodologies and frameworks, including those she has developed herself based on the Agai Dicutta culture and spirit. These frameworks have directly shaped the future direction of her own Tribal government, embedding a system grounded in Indigenous thought, community vision, and generational stewardship.
The governance structures now in place in her Tribe represent something powerful: a system rooted in the lived experience and leadership of an Agai Dicutta woman, designed to serve the generations of Agai Dicutta children to come. That, in itself, is an act of sovereignty.
Our Story
Get to Know Alli
Alli J. Moran is an enrolled citizen of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe – Wakpá Wašté (Cheyenne River) Lakota Nation, with respect to her tiospaye (extended relatives) of Íŋyaŋ Woslál Háŋ (Standing Rock) Hunkpapa Lakota. Her journey began at Cheyenne-Eagle Butte Jr. High School, where her active participation in Tribal Council meetings ignited a passion for Tribal sovereignty. In 2012, Alli’s leadership qualities shone brightly when she was elected as the American Indian Higher Education Consortium Student Congress President during her undergraduate years at the Institute of American Indian Arts. She earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Indigenous Liberal Studies, marking the start of her dedicated service to Tribal communities across Indian Country. Alli’s work is deeply rooted in education and nation-building. She moves in alignment with her Lakota culture, values, and philosophy in every aspect of her life and career. Leading with a visionary seventh-generation mindset, she honors the legacy of her ancestors while focused on creating a path for future generations. Currently, Alli serves as the Intergovernmental Affairs Officer for the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, where her commitment and influence continue to make a profound impact.