OUR TEAM

Nico Albert Williams (ᏣᎳᎩᎯ ᎠᏰᎵ Cherokee Nation), Founder and Executive Director of Burning Cedar Sovereign Wellness, is a chef, caterer and student of traditional Indigenous cuisines based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She began her culinary education growing up in California and Arizona, spending time in her mother’s garden and in the kitchen preparing family meals. After relocating to Northeastern Oklahoma, Nico embraced her return to the post-removal homeland of her mother’s people as a calling and opportunity to reestablish a relationship with her Cherokee community, first and foremost through the language of food. Her journey to learn traditional Cherokee ways, dishes and the wild and cultivated ingredients involved in their preparation grew to encompass the Indigenous cuisines of tribes from all parts of North America, and led to her involvement in Indigenous food revitalization and food sovereignty.

Nico's efforts to expand her knowledge of traditional ingredients and techniques continue through research and collaboration with Indigenous chefs and traditionalists from all Nations. She is the recipient of the 2021 Greater Tulsa Indian Affairs Commission Dream Keeper's Award for Leadership in Business, the 2022 Cherokee Phoenix Seven Feathers Award for Culture, and she serves as a culinary diplomat for the US Department of State Arts Envoy program, representing North American Indigenous foodways in international spaces. Her work has been featured regionally and nationally by Food Network Magazine, USA Today, Hulu, Smithsonian Institute, BBC, Cherokee Nation's OsiyoTV, King Arthur Baking Co, Atlas Obscura, PBS, PRX, Gilcrease Museum, and Philbrook Museum among others.

She shares a fireplace with her husband, Kyle Williams Sr (Ponca, Otoe-Missouria, Iowa) and family, who enjoy spending time together outdoors and dancing at powwows. She and Kyle also play music in the Indigenous sludge metal band Medicine Horse.

Crystal Brownstone, an enrolled citizen of the Muscogee Nation with familial ties to the Ponca and Citizen Potawatomi Nations, is a dedicated librarian and advocate for Indigenous representation in libraries and education. Crystal holds a Master of Library and Information Studies from the University of Oklahoma and a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies from Oklahoma State University. She currently serves as a Research and Instruction Librarian at Tulsa Community College, where she also advises the Native American Student Alliance, fostering a supportive and inclusive environment for Indigenous students.

Her professional journey includes nine years at the Tulsa City-County Library system, where she contributed to the development of Native American programming and collection curation. As the inaugural Chair of the Native Voices American Indian Affinity Group, she collaborated with colleagues to support Indigenous-focused initiatives. Crystal also worked closely with the American Indian Resource Center, serving on the Festival of Words Author Selection and Planning Committees. Throughout her career, Crystal has been committed to connecting community members with valuable resources, promoting information literacy, and offering expert readers’ advisory services. Her work reflects a deep passion for empowering diverse communities through accessible and inclusive library services.

Taryn Evans, of Mvskoke, West African, and Indigenous Mexican descent, is deeply committed to advancing culturally inclusive healthcare and advocating for Indigenous health sovereignty. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Human Health & Biology and a Bachelor of Arts in Native American Studies from the University of Oklahoma, where she explored the intersection of culture and medicine. Growing up, she was surrounded by traditional Indigenous medicine, learning firsthand the healing power of plants and the importance of holistic care. These experiences sparked her passion for integrating traditional healing practices with modern medical approaches.

Taryn has contributed to several research initiatives, including work with the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, the University of Minnesota-Duluth, and the University of Utah. Her research has focused on Indigenous health disparities, culturally competent care, and what is successful aging within Indigenous communities. Through these experiences, she witnessed the importance of community-driven healthcare solutions and the need for Indigenous representation in medical fields.

Taryn is dedicated to reshaping healthcare systems to be more inclusive of Indigenous knowledge. She is passionate about empowering Indigenous communities with healthcare solutions that honor both traditional healing practices and modern medical advancements. Through her work, she hopes to advocate for policies and practices that respect Indigenous autonomy in healthcare decision-making.

Outside of her professional and academic pursuits, Taryn enjoys photography, cooking, traveling, and foraging for traditional foods.

Pam Mdwèsnejewen Vrooman, Ph.D. is a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation and a licensed clinical psychologist in the state of Oklahoma, currently in private practice since 2008. She specializes in the treatment of co-occurring disorders and trauma  for adolescents and adults, with an emphasis on decolonizing trauma work. She works with a number of neurodivergent individuals as well as individuals who identify as LGBTQ+. 

Prior to starting her own practice, she worked in the field of chemical dependency at all levels as well as interfacing with the judicial system by serving as Drug/Mental Health Court liaison for Resonance Center for Women. She also worked at Domestic Violence Intervention Services offering counseling and advocacy for victims of domestic violence.

Dr. Vrooman received her B.A. in English, and her M.A. and Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Tulsa. While in graduate school she also served as the research coordinator for a $5 million Office of Juvenile Affairs gang prevention grant working with multiple Tulsa non-profits. She was a speaker in the train the trainer series conducted by the Partnership for a Drug Free America, and also appeared in the Emmy-nominated documentary, “A Question of Life or Meth.” Prior to becoming a psychologist, Dr. Vrooman spent 20 years in public relations and marketing doing strategic planning, market research and writing. 

Dr. Vrooman sits on the Board of The Kwek Society, a non-profit focused on ending period poverty for Native students, and for Burning Cedar Sovereign Wellness Center, an indigenous-led community center focused on bringing knowledge of healthy traditional food ways and indigenous wellness practices to Native families. She is a member of Matriarch Oklahoma, an ongoing student of the Bodéwadmi language, and performs regularly with Déwé’gen Kwék, a Citizen Potawatomi women’s hand drum group. She is married to Samuel Harris, with two adult children, three grandchildren and three big dogs that regularly “help” dig up her gardens of plant medicines.

Okcate Evita Smith McCommas (Mvskoke) is deeply involved in the ongoing fight for a more equitable, holistic, and environmentally conscious future.

She has managed festivals and events with thousands of people in attendance, coordinated hundreds of volunteers and staff members, and participated in community groups that promote civic engagement, Indigenous agency, and cultural diversity. Both privately and through her digital media and event support company, Summerhead Creative, she and her husband work alongside organizations like Burning Cedar Sovereign Wellness, The Center for Indigenous Health Research and Policy at OSU, Oklahoma Sierra Club, OK Roots Music, The Brain Injury Recovery Foundation, Take Control Initiative, and Rainbowland Arts, helping to further the missions of progressive, compassionate, creative, and equitable causes.

Okcate grew up in the Ancestral Homelands of the Mvskoke on the southeast coast of Georgia. Her respect and appreciation for nature grew out of daily exposure to the power of the ocean and the delicate balance of the nearby marshland ecosystems. Though her family was impoverished, she was lucky to have access to the local community’s flourishing public arts and education programs. However, there were no other Native people to engage with outside of her immediate family. Tribal knowledge was passed down to her through her parents. Okcate moved to Tulsa during college, where she has worked hard to connect with her Tribe and honor the intentional, sacred ways of her ancestors through community-based work and volunteering.

Okcate is a certified Red Cross Aquatic and Safety Trainer of nearly two decades, a caregiver for her parents, an event manager, and a lifelong, self-taught, multi-media artist. She uses art to address intergenerational trauma and reconnect with traditions that were taken from her Ancestors. Her art reflects a maximalist approach, celebrating her lived experiences through chroma, shape, texture, and evocative poetry.

Coming Soon!