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Kauffman and Associates, Inc., a national consulting firm that works to improve the well-being of vulnerable populations, has hired two Native American leaders as vice presidents. 

The Spokane, Wash.-based firm hired Dr. Aaron Payment (Sault Ste. Marie of Chippewa Indians) to serve as vice president of tribal relations and learning, and Dr. Joni Buffalohead (Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate) to serve as vice president of behavioral health transformation.

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Both Payment and Buffalohead have extensive experience working in Indian Country. Payment is the former tribal chairperson of the Sault Ste. Marie of Chippewa Indians and has over 30 years of experience in national, regional, and local tribal affairs. He is also a former vice president of the National Congress of American Indians and an appointee to the National Advisory Council on Indian Education. Payment holds a Ph.D. in Public Policy from the University of Minnesota.

Buffalohead has worked for over 20 years to improve the health and well-being of Native Americans. She has worked extensively with tribes in Minnesota to bring equitable access to statewide resources, and she is currently leading the Kauffman team addressing the opioid epidemic across Indian Country. Buffalohead holds a Ph.D. in Public Health from the University of Minnesota.

“We are thrilled to have Dr. Payment and Dr. Buffalohead join our team,” President and Founder Jo Ann Kauffman said in a statement. “Their expertise and commitment to improving the lives of Native Americans will be invaluable to our work.”

Kauffmann is a national consulting firm that works to improve the well-being of vulnerable populations, with a special focus on American Indians and Alaska Natives. The firm uses Indigenous methods to provide quality consultation and management support.