Jo Ann Kauffman

Jo Ann is President and owner of Kauffman and Associates, Inc., (KAI) and an enrolled member of the Nez Perce Tribe. She was the CEO for the Seattle Indian Health Board from 1982 to 1989. After relocating to Washington, DC, Jo Ann founded KAI in 1990, where she lobbied for social justice, health care and education needs of American Indian and other vulnerable populations. She has worked in the field of Indian affairs for more than 40 years, serving as a consultant to Indian tribes, private for-profit and nonprofit organizations, and numerous state and federal agencies.

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Jo Ann was honored by Business Beat as Minority Small Business Person of the Year 2006 and as owner of the Fastest Growing Minority Business in 2004, 2007 and 2008. In 2015, the Spokane YWCA awarded her the Women of Achievement Carl Maxey Racial & Social Justice Award. Jo Ann was appointed by the governor of the state of Washington to the Board of Trustees of Eastern Washington University (EWU), where she served from 2003 to 2015. She currently leads the Advisory Committee of the new Lucy Covington Center at EWU. Ms. Kauffman holds a master’s degree in public health from the University of California at Berkeley, and in 2017 she received an honorary doctorate from EWU for her lifework in the field of Indian health.

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Jo Ann brings to the Board her deep experience and expertise in American Indian tribal and urban populations on issues ranging from health care reform, health policy, education, economic development, justice, environmental protection, and safety.