The Indian Law Resource Center Board of Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of Christopher T. Foley as the Center’s new Executive Director.
Chris Foley has served at the Indian Law Resource Center for twelve years, gaining expertise in the projects and legal fields at the heart of the Center’s work, including federal Indian law, international Indigenous rights, and international human rights. Most recently, Foley served as Senior Attorney working on the Center’s flagship project, Safe Women, Strong Nations. In 2022, Foley joined Amnesty International USA’s Board of Directors and currently serves as their Treasurer. Chris Foley is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation. He received his Bachelor of Arts with Honors from Swarthmore College and his J.D. from Temple University in Philadelphia.
For more than 46 years, the Indian Law Resource Center has significantly helped shape modern Indigenous rights advocacy. Foley is the first Executive Director to follow in the footsteps of the Center’s founding Director, Robert “Tim” Coulter. Coulter, who is widely recognized for helping Indigenous communities across the globe negotiate and win the adoption of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, has retired after 47 years leading the Center. Under Coulter’s leadership, the organization led some of the first successful legal efforts linking Indigenous human rights with environmental protection, including winning several landmark rulings by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. These rulings have led to the expansion of Indigenous land rights protections and other rights of self-determination and sovereignty.
“Having worked shoulder-to-shoulder with Chris for over a decade, I have full confidence that the Center is in excellent hands. Chris is smart, dedicated, hard-working, and has a deep commitment to this work. I could not be more pleased to be handing the reigns of the organization over to Chris’ thoughtful leadership,” said Coulter.
In October 2022, the Center was awarded a $20 million grant for its Indigenous Lands Initiative project, which aims to expand and strengthen Indigenous land ownership rights in Mexico, Central and South America. When completed, this project will assist as many as 100 Indigenous communities in obtaining legal titles to their communal lands.
“The Center is at an exciting and critically important moment of growth. Because of Tim’s vision and leadership, the Center now has the capacity and resources to build an expansive, holistic program across the Americas. Our work will continue to be focused on Indigenous women’s rights, Indigenous people’s collective rights to their lands and resources, to self-determination and self-government, and climate justice. I am committed to advancing the vitally important work of the Center and working with our board, staff and partners to expand and enhance its impact and influence.”
Melanie Benjamin, Chair of the Board of Directors, stated, “The Board is thrilled to welcome Chris Foley as the Center’s new Executive Director. We are confident that with his extensive experience contributing to all aspects of the Center’s work, his passion for the mission, and his deep knowledge of its history and culture, Chris will provide the leadership necessary to continue our vitally important work for Indigenous peoples across the Americas.”
The Indian Law Resource Center is a non-profit law and advocacy organization established and directed by American Indians. The Center is based in Helena, Montana and also has an office in Washington, DC. We provide legal assistance to Indian and Alaska Native nations and Indigenous communities working to protect their lands, resources, human rights, environment and cultural heritage. Our principal goal is the preservation and well-being of Native nations and tribes across the Americas. For more information, visit www.indianlaw.org.