Dr. Aaron Payment serves as KAI’s vice president for tribal relations and learning. Dr. Payment has spent over 30 years working to improve the well-being of Native communities. His national experience includes nearly a decade on the executive committee of the National Congress of American Indians, a Presidential appointment to the National Advisory Council on Indian Education, and work with the National Indian Health Board. He has held numerous positions at the inter-tribal level, including fourteen years serving as chairperson of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe.
At KAI, Dr. Payment supports several major national initiatives with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, guiding them through the formal consultation process and beyond. He holds a doctorate in educational leadership from Central Michigan University, a master’s in educational specialist, master’s in education administration, and a bachelor’s from Northern Michigan University.
