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Veronica Owens
Operations Leader, Indigenous Data Sovereignty, Process Improvement
Veronica Owens is Dakota (Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate) and Cowichan (Coast Salish), bringing a decade of manufacturing operations experience to Indigenous data sovereignty work. Based in the Seattle area, Veronica specializes in translating systems thinking into practical, culturally-grounded data governance frameworks for Indigenous-serving organizations.
After spending 10 years in food manufacturing—progressing from process operations through technical support roles to management positions in production, maintenance, and safety—Veronica recognized that the same rigorous, systematic approaches to optimizing complex systems could address critical gaps in how Indigenous communities control and protect their data. This unique background allows her to bridge technical implementation with cultural protocols, creating sustainable data sovereignty solutions that actually work in real-world operations.
Veronica's work centers on a reality often overlooked in Indigenous data sovereignty discussions: most Indigenous people live in urban diaspora settings, disconnected from their homelands and tribal governments. These urban Indigenous nonprofits and multi-tribal organizations serve the majority of Indigenous people but lack the governmental authority of tribal nations to assert data sovereignty. Veronica is committed to ensuring that data practices strengthen rather than extract from Indigenous communities, bringing practical operational thinking to the critical work of Indigenous self-determination in the digital age.
Sessions
Day 1
2.40
Yarning Circles
A: Youth-led yarn: Join the voices of our next generation and yarn about what’s needed for young people to thrive.
B: Boorai Dreaming Project: Yarn with Aboriginal Elders and Senior Women who are working tirelessly in their community about the three stages of the Boorai Project.
C: Walking with Knowledge: Join Tammy Hatherill and explore the role of Australian First Nations Traditional Healing, a vital, yet under-recognised, system within contemporary healthcare.
Tammy Hatherill, Psychologist, Tribal Psychology; PhD Candidate
D: Engaging Young People: Join this yarn about the Tangka Marnirninthi Group, a therapeutic art group embedded within a youth mental health service, designed to engage young people.
E: 4-Directions, One Path to Healing: Explore a medicine methodology with Nawiishtunmi Nightgun helping First Nations people out of homelessness and into healing.
Nawiishtunmi Nightgun, B.S.P., Founder, Brown Bear Woman LLC; Cultural Knowledge Practitioner; Indigenous Data Analyst Expert
Veronica Owens, Operations Leader, Indigenous Data Sovereignty, Process Improvement
Day 2
1:50
Yarning Circles
A: Youth-led yarn: Join the voices of our next generation and yarn about what’s needed for young people to thrive.
B: Boorai Dreaming Project: Yarn with Aboriginal Elders and Senior Women who are working tirelessly in their community about the three stages of the Boorai Project.
C: Walking with Knowledge: Join Tammy Hatherill and explore the role of Australian First Nations Traditional Healing, a vital, yet under-recognised, system within contemporary healthcare.
Tammy Hatherill, Psychologist, Tribal Psychology; PhD Candidate
D: Engaging Young People: Join this yarn about the Tangka Marnirninthi Group, a therapeutic art group embedded within a youth mental health service, designed to engage young people
E: 4-Directions, One Path to Healing: Explore a medicine methodology with Nawiishtunmi Nightgun helping First Nations people out of homelessness and into healing.
Nawiishtunmi Nightgun, B.S.P., Founder, Brown Bear Woman LLC; Cultural Knowledge Practitioner; Indigenous Data Analyst Expert
Veronica Owens, Operations Leader, Indigenous Data Sovereignty, Process Improvement