Welcoming Our Next Associate Dean & Director of the Native American Cultural Center (NACC)

We are thrilled to announce that Blue Tarpalechee, an enrolled citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, will join Stanford as the next Associate Dean of Students and Director of the Native American Cultural Center (NACC). He will officially begin on Monday, June 2.

Additional Information

Blue has extensive leadership experience and a long-standing commitment to student success. He currently serves as the Dean of Students at the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA), a public tribal land-grant college in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he oversees student support services, campus life, and student engagement initiatives.  Previously, Blue served as Director of Student Housing at IAIA, leading efforts to build supportive living environments and community-building programs. He has also taught First-Year Composition as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at the University of Oklahoma. Blue has contributed meaningfully to student success initiatives, community wellness efforts, and curriculum development throughout his career.

Blue earned his Ph.D. in Native American Literature from the University of Oklahoma. His dissertation, “Authorial Custody and Story Stewardship: Centering Relationality as an Indigenous Approach to Texts,” explores ethical frameworks for preserving and sharing Indigenous stories, emphasizing community and relational contexts in Native storytelling.

In addition to his academic work, Blue has curated exhibitions—including “Portraits of Power” at the Jacobson House Native Art Center—and participated in fellowships and research programs, such as the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Historic Artists’ Homes and Studios (HAHS) Program internship, and the Michigan State University American Indian and Indigenous Studies Pre-Doctoral Fellowship. We are confident Blue’s academic expertise, thoughtful leadership, and lived experience will profoundly enrich the Stanford community.

We would also like to extend our sincere gratitude to the search committee for their time, care, and dedication throughout this process. Their thoughtful deliberations and steadfast commitment ensured a successful and inclusive search. The committee was chaired by Linda Tran, Associate Dean of Students, and Scott J.J. Hsu, Director of the Asian American Activities Center, and included the following members of the Stanford community:

• Elizabeth Reese, Assistant Professor of Law, Stanford Law School
• Denni Woodward, Assistant Dean and Associate Director of the NACC
• Maija Cruz, Assistant Director of Well-Being at Stanford
• Megumi Kamikawa, Program Administrator, Centers for Equity, Community, and Leadership
• Antonio Vega, Undergraduate Student, Earth Systems
• Karli Moore, Graduate Student, Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources
• Zola Ortiz, Undergraduate Student, Anthropology

We are excited to welcome Blue and his family to the Stanford community and look forward to the vision and leadership he will bring to the NACC!

Best,
Samuel and Abiya

Samuel Santos, Ed.D. 
Associate Vice Provost
Inclusion, Community, and Integrative Learning
Division of Student Affairs

Abiya Ahmed, PhD
Interim Executive Director | CECL
Interim Assistant Vice Provost | ICIL
Division of Student Affairs