More than 40 years of service-focused leadership
Dr. Robert Martin, President of IAIA, right, with his wife, Luci Tapahanso.
After serving for more than 40 years of service in Native education, Dr. Robert Martin (Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma) will retire from a lifetime of work in education in July 2025. He currently serves as the President of the Institute of American Indian Art (IAIA) in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a role he has held since 2007. IAIA was only the last of four tribal colleges and universities (TCU) that benefited from Dr. Martin’s leadership. He previously served as President of Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute (SIPI) (1981-89), Haskell Indian Nations University (HINU) (1989-99), and Tohono O’odham Community College (TOCC) (2001-05).
Dr. Martin made a lasting impression at each TCU as he helped them to grow. At SIPI, he mobilized students and community to keep the college open despite the U.S. Department of the Interior’s proposal to close its doors. He led Haskell through the transition from a junior college to a university under his leadership. TOCC earned its accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission and was designated a 1994 Land-Grant Institution by Congress during his tenure.
During his 18-year tenure at IAIA, Dr. Martin oversaw the establishment of a Bachelor of Fine Arts in performing arts, along with graduate programs in creative writing, studio arts, and cultural administration. While growing new academic programs, he oversaw the growth of the campus to include the construction of five new buildings and family housing. Scholarships for IAIA students also increased under his leadership.
These accomplishments are perhaps less surprising, but no less noteworthy, coming from a man who believes, “To lead is to serve,” Which was the title of an article Dr. Martin wrote for the Tribal College Journal of American Indian Higher Education in which he highlighted the impact of Indigenous leadership stemming from knowledge focused on empowering the entire community and service to the people. He credits many mentors and traditional leaders, such as Black Elk (Oglala Lakota), as his role models for leadership. At IAIA, Martin’s philosophy also incorporated an Indigenous definition of student success that factored in intentionality rooted in an Indigenous community-based approach and focused on the humanities through an Indigenous perspective.
Dr. Martin was born in Pryor, Oklahoma in 1946, but his family relocated to North Carolina when he was in elementary school. In high school, Martin was interested in working on a reservation or with other Native communities. While people thought this was an odd choice at the time, Dr. Martin made his vision a reality. He began his career serving two historically Black institutions in West Virginia and North Carolina before moving to the
Plains to begin his work with TCUs. He earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Appalachian State University and received his doctorate degree in educational leadership from the University of Kansas.
In addition to his leadership roles at TCUs, Dr. Martin also serves on several boards, including the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, Lensic Performing Arts Center, and the Higher Learning Commission. He served as a trustee for the board of the American Indian College Fund January 2004-July 2005 through his retirement from Tohono O’odham Community College. He was re-elected to the College Fund’s board and began his service in July 2010 as president of IAIA and served nine years (three three-year terms). He also served as the College Fund board’s vice chair during his 2016-2019 term. He continues his service to the College Fund as an advisor to its resource development committee.
Dr. Martin is also the recipient of many awards and honors, including the Liberty Bell Award by the Douglas County Bar Association in Kansas, recognizing individual contributions to human rights. He received an honorary doctorate from Baker University, and in 2010, he received the Tribal College President of the Year Award from the American Indian College Fund. Dr. Martin also received a National Humanities Medal (2022) in a ceremony with President Joseph R. Biden at the White House in the fall of 2024, and Mayor Alan Weber of Santa Fe declared November 17, “Dr. Robert Martin Day.”
Over the past 37 years Dr. Martin has often acknowledged the unwavering support of his wife, Luci Tapahonso (Navajo), a professor emerita of English literature at the University of New Mexico and an inaugural Poet Laureate of the Navajo Nation. Regarding his retirement, Dr. Martin shared several thoughts on his time at IAIA.
“I can think of no more fitting institution from which to end my over 40-year career in Indigenous higher education than the Institute of American Indian Arts. Over the past six decades, IAIA’s influence on the Indigenous world has been monumental,” said Dr. Martin. “The boundaries were limitless. Our students learned to develop their creative style without being bound by tradition or history. What I’ve admired most during my tenure is observing the evolution of student creativity and seeing how they take risks and manifest leadership qualities while advancing their practice. They have helped make IAIA the preeminent Tribal University in the nation.”
He also summed up his career in a short, humble statement that placed service to the community as a priority.
“I am honored to have served as president of four tribal colleges in 40 years. It has been a blessing, as I have had ample opportunities to improve higher education for our people,” Dr. Martin said.
