Marla Jean Big Boy (Oglala Lakota)
Board Secretary
Tribal Court Program Specialist
National Court Appointed Special Advocates Association (CASA)
Omak, WA
A member of the Oglala Lakota Sioux tribe, Marla Jean Big Boy is a National CASA tribal court program specialist. Marla Jean was elected to the National Indian Child Welfare Board of Directors in 2004, and elected to the position of board secretary in April 2006.
Marla Jean’s areas of expertise include tribal court development, tribal codes, tribal sovereignty, Indian child advocacy, Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978, volunteers in Indian Country, TERO, NAGPRA, IRPA, ARPA, and OSHA. She is a former attorney general, tribal consultant and mother. She presently is affiliated with National CASA; NICWA; and the Indigenous Peoples Council on Biocolonialism, a small and powerful advocacy group determined to prevent genetic exploitation of indigenous peoples of the world. She is a volunteer for the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Project and serves as guardian ad lidum to Native American children in tribal court. Past affiliations include Okanogan Family Planning, Native American Law Students Association, and the University of New Mexico Kiva Club.