Wunneanatsu Lamb-Cason (Schaghticoke/HoChunk) is an educator, advocate, traditional storyteller, and author who has been a voice for social, cultural, and educational equity for more than 20 years. She has led workshops and professional development in school districts and universities nationwide. At Brown, Wunneanatsu’s role will include oversight of staff and administration of the NAISI office, including supporting the expanding undergraduate concentration in Critical Native American and Indigenous Studies (CNAIS), NAIS-focused programming, and collaborations with centers, institutes and departments across campus. She will also contribute to strengthening the University’s relationships with tribes, both locally and beyond, and supporting the ongoing work led by the Vice President for Community Engagement and Practitioner in Residence for Tribal Engagement (endawnis Spears).
An enrolled citizen of the Schaghticoke Tribal Nation (Connecticut), Wunneanatsu brings with her lifelong connections to the Indigenous communities throughout Indian Country, deeply rooted in southern New England where she was born and raised.
She earned her B.A. in History with a concentration in Native American Studies from American Military University and her post-baccalaureate teaching certification in Secondary Social Studies from Shenandoah University. In recognition of her outstanding contributions to education, she was selected as the 2024 Virginia History Teacher of the Year by the Gilder-Lehrman Institute of American History.
Wunneanatsu has served on local, state and national committees working to combat misinformation and ensure accurate Indigenous voices are maintained throughout our educational landscape; most recently being appointed Chair of the National Council for the Social Studies Indigenous Peoples Policy Task Force. Additionally, she is a founding member of the Schaghticoke Women’s Traditional Council.
Her areas of interest include the roles of Indigenous women in Southern New England, knowledge sharing through storytelling, Indigenous pedagogical frameworks and accurate and respectful inclusion of Indigenous histories in educational resources. She has written classroom materials, teacher resources, and textbook content for McGraw-Hill Education, the Library of Congress and the University of the Arts among others. Additional published works include selected contributions to Dawnland Voices: An Anthology of Indigenous Writing from New England (2014) and Reimagining New England History: Historical Injustice, Sovereignty, and Freedom(2024). Her children’s book, Grandmother Moon, will be released in 2025.
