Faculty and Instructors

Michael Wilson
AIS Director and
Associate Professor, English
Teaching and research interests: Indigenous Literatures of North America, and Postcolonial Theory and Indigenous Literatures michael@uwm.edu

Kimberly Blaeser
Professor, English
Teaching and research interests: Native American Literatures, Theories of Indigenous Literatures, American Nature Writing, and Creative Writing including Poetry, Life Writing, and Nature Writing. kblaeser@uwm.edu

Margaret Noodin
Professor, English
Teaching and research interests: Indigenous American literature, Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe) language, language revitalization.
noodin@uwm.edu

Bernard Perley
Associate Professor, Anthropology
Teaching and research interests: Linguistic anthropology–language ideology, language endangerment, and language revitalization; visual anthropology–graphic ethnography (theory and practice); American Indian Studies- repatriation (tangible and intangible properties), Indigeneity (aboriginality), and self-determination as ethnocosmogenesis (semiotics, intertextuality, and intermediality). bcperley@uwm.edu

Patricia Richards
Senior Scientist, Anthropology
Research interests: Archaeological mortuary analysis, 19th and 20th century cemeteries, museology, prehistory of the eastern United States, historic period archaeology, historic Native American groups of the eastern United States, human osteology, archaeological method and theory, archaeological field techniques, cultural resource management. pbrownr@uwm.edu

Patricia Nájera
Director of Partnerships and Fund Development
Nájera’s role at Electa Quinney Institute is to advance research, teaching, and learning opportunities with UWM’s faculty/staff/students fostering collaborative partnerships with American Indian communities and tribes across a variety of disciplines in higher education.
ptnajera@uwm.edu

Maurina Paradise
Instructor/Administrative Support
Teaches the AIS 101 course, as well as providing staff/admin support to AIS and the Electa Quinney Institute (EQI) on the UWM campus.
ais-info@uwm.edu
414-229-5355
Bolton Hall 187

Angela Mesic
Lecturer
Teaches the AIS 161 and AIS 162 courses. Encourages language revitalization of Anishinaabemowin and other indigenous languages. Teaching and research interests include language pedagogy and curriculum and Anishinaabemowin literature and culture.