About Us

About Us:

NTAA’s Executive Committee
The NTAA is a Tribal membership organization currently with 155 Member Tribes whose mission is to advance air quality management policies and programs consistent with the needs, interests, and unique legal status of federally recognized Tribes. The NTAA’s membership grows yearly.
Group photo taken at the 2022 National Tribal Forum on Air Quality in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Includes members of the Executive Committee, ITEP and NTAA staff.
Additionally, the NTAA serves as a communication liaison and information conduit between Tribes, EPA, and other federal agencies. The NTAA exists to assist Tribes in air quality policy work while respecting and supporting Tribal sovereignty and the Tribes’ rights to a government-to-government relationship with the federal government.
The NTAA is governed by two Executive Committee members for each of the 10 EPA Region as well as the state of Alaska. These EC members are titled as Primary Representative and Alternate Representative. The EC work together to promote policy that will ensure that our descendants will breathe air that is cleaner than it is now. The EC hold a special responsibility to represent their Tribe and Nations. To become an EC Member, the Tribes in each EPA region and Alaska selects both a primary and alternate representatives. If you share an interest and would like to learn more, please email NTAA Project Manager, [email protected]
NTAA Executive Committee:


Syndi Smallwood
Region 9, NTAA Chairwoman
Jamul Indian Village of California
Email: [email protected]

Caleb Minthorn
Region 10 (Alt)
Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation
Email: [email protected]
NTAA Staff:
