Board and Advisory

Noah Blue Elk Hotchkiss (S.Ute/S.Cheyenne/Caddo)-Founder and Board President-Noah Founded the Tribal Adaptive Organization in 2015 with the help of Olympian Billy Mills(Lakota) and his DreamStarter program.  Injured in a car accident in 2009 Noah has become a role model for Native Americans with disabilities.  He credits his participation in sports with giving him the drive to succeed.  Noah was a National Champion in both Downhill skiing and Wheelchair Basketball and is active in the outdoors.  Noah went on to graduate from the University of Illinois Urbana/Champagne and was an All-American player for their Men’s Wheelchair Basketball team.  After 2 years working for the City of Chicago in adaptive sports, Noah has returned to his ancestral homeland to continue to build his vision.

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Dago Saenz (Columbiano Indigena)-Treasurer

Originally from Santa Marta Columbia Dago was injured by a stray bullet at 6 years old. His family relocated to the United States after his injury to receive better care and access to adaptive sports. As Noah’s teammate since they were 14 years old Dago has been helping with Tribal Adaptive Organization events since the very beginning. As a scholarship player Dago Joined and eventually graduated from the University of Illinois with a Masters in Finance. Currently Dago is employed as a data analyst for Sallie Mae and Freddie Mac. Dago continues to play wheelchair basketball and share his love of the game with new players and youth.

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Clarence Smith (BlackFeet)-Board Secretary

Clarence is from Browning Montana home to the Blackfeet Nation. He graduated from Fort Lewis College and then went on to receive a Masters degree from the University of Washington. In 2019 Clarence began to put his business education to work by starting the DreamCatcher Carpet Cleaners in the Denver Area. With a million plus per year in revenue Clarence brings his small business and marketing savvy to our board. A longtime proponent of Native American entrepreneurship Clarence is a great asset to our board.

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Dr. Pakhi Chaudhuri is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and is Board Certified. She is a graduate of Brown Medical School and trained at the University of Washington, Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle. Dr. Chaudhuri has also completed a course in Medical Acupuncture for Physicians through UCLA and the Helms Medical Institute and currently includes acupuncture and shonishin (a needle-less technique for infants and children) in her her practice. Dr. Pakhi Chaudhuri has been practicing pediatrics since 2000 and founded Pediatric Associates of Durango in 2005.
 
 
 
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Stella McMillan (Vietnamese)  is a 3rd year Law Student at the University of Illnois Chicago. Born in Vietnam, Stella was adopted and raised by the McMillan family in Chicago Illinois. Stella was a stand out athlete and All American for the University of Illinois. After Graduation Stella began law School and continued her passion for training and playing wheelchair basketball. A long time supporter of the Tribal Adaptive Organization Stella is a great fundraiser and now legal adviser to the board of directors.