Dr. Porter Swentzell is from Santa Clara Pueblo, where he grew up participating in traditional life in his community and developed an interest in language and cultural preservation. He is Chair of Indigenous Liberal Studies at the Institute of American Indian Arts, a Regent for Northern New Mexico College, and serves on the board of the Native American Endowment Fund. Porter holds a Ph.D. in Justice Studies from Arizona State University, a MA in Interdisciplinary Studies with Concentrations in History and Political Science from Western New Mexico University, and a BA in Integrated Studies with an Emphasis in Pueblo Indian Studies from Northern New Mexico College. He lives in Santa Clara Pueblo along with his wife Nicole and three children.