The Native American Rights Fund is pleased to
announce that experienced Indian water rights attorneys Sue Noe and
Heather Whiteman Runs Him have joined the organization and will be
housed in the organization’s Boulder, Colorado office. Joel Williams
joined NARF’s Washington, D.C. office.
Sue Noe
is an experienced water rights attorney and brings over twelve years
water rights litigation experience to the NARF water team. She
specializes in large, complex litigation. While in private practice Sue
teamed up with NARF and worked on behalf of the Nez Perce Tribe in the
Snake River Basin Adjudication in Idaho and the Klamath Tribes in the
Klamath Basin Adjudication in Oregon, achieving success in both
adjudications the first ending in a Congressionally-approved settlement
and the latter securing resounding victories before Oregon’s Office of
Administrative Hearings. In addition to her work on behalf of Native
American tribes, Sue has substantial international experience.
Sue received her J.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill, graduating with high honors, and earned an LL.M. in Natural
Resources and Environmental Law and Policy from the University of Denver
College of Law, where she received several awards for Scholastic
Excellence. Along with her former law professor, George (Rock) Pring,
Sue has co-authored two book chapters on natural resource issues in
international law published by Oxford University Press. She is licensed
to practice law in Colorado and New York. Sue began work for NARF on
December 1.
Heather Whiteman Runs Him
(Crow) comes to NARF from the Crow Tribe Office of Executive Counsel
where she served as Joint Lead Counsel for the Tribe since July of 2009,
and as Deputy Executive Counsel from 2006 - 2009. Heather was
responsible for a wide variety of work, overseeing tribal prosecution
and Indian Child Welfare attorneys; responsibility for legal issues
pertaining to intergovernmental relations, tribal land management, water
rights, elections, health, law enforcement, economic development, and
general litigation issues. She also consulted on renewable energy
development. Prior to working with the Crow Tribe, Heather practiced in
New Mexico as an Assistant Public Defender in the Albuquerque Metro
Division, worked as an Associate Attorney with Sonosky Chambers Sachse
Endreson & Mielke, LLP and with Nordhaus Haltom Taylor Taradash
& Bladh, LLP, serving tribal governmental clients on a wide variety
of issues.
Heather received her B.A.F.A. with honors in Art History, and Studio
Art from the University of New Mexico in 1999 and graduated from Harvard
Law School in 2002. She received her A.F.A. from the Institute of
American Indian Arts in 1999. She is licensed to practice law before
the State Bar of New Mexico, the District of New Mexico, and the Crow
Tribal Bar.
Joel Williams, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas. He obtained degrees in Psychology and Religious Studies from Naropa
University. At Naropa, he was awarded the President’s Leadership
Scholarship and his senior project in the religious studies department
focused on Cherokee history and religion. Joel attended Widener
University School of Law, where he was a student attorney at the
environmental law clinic and represented citizen groups pursuing
lawsuits under the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Administrative
Procedures Act. He was also awarded a certificate of achievement by
Joseph R. Biden.
After graduating from law school, Joel was an Assistant Counsel with
the Pennsylvania Governor’s Office of General Counsel, where he
represented the executive branch as a trial and appellate attorney.
Joel is currently an LLM Environmental Law candidate at Vermont Law
School. Immediately before joining NARF, Joel was Senior Legislative
Officer with Cherokee Nation and director of the tribe's Washington, DC
office.
