Our Team

The Apache Language Consortium is governed by a five-member Board of eminent indigenous language specialists, both Native speakers and linguists. The Board of Directors is responsible for the overall direction and decision-making of the organization. Directors are elected for two-year terms from candidates nominated from within the Board.

Vincent E. Randall (Yavapai-Apache)

Board Member and Director for the Yavapai-Apache Nation of Camp Verde, Arizona. He is an Apache historian with an extensive knowledge of Dilzhe’e ethnobiology and has served for many organizations such as the National Association for the Education of Young Children, and is a member of the Western Apache Coalition. He has been a consistent force towards the preservation of Native and Apache culture.

Joyce Johnson (San Carlos Apache)

Joyce has served Western Apache language programs for years—as an Apache language teacher at all educational levels and as Language Preservation Coordinator for the San Carlos Apache Tribe. Her knowledge of the Western Apache language and experience in implementing successful indigenous language programs is an asset to the board.

Bonnie Lewis (White Mountain Apache)

An experienced White Mountain Apache language teacher who has taught at Cibecue Schools and currently serves as the senior Apache language teacher at East Fork Lutheran School. She has worked on numerous Apache language projects, including compilations of traditional stories, assessments, and word collections.

Wil Meya

Wilhelm Meya, alongside Apache community members and linguists, co-founded the Apache Language Consortium (ALC) in 2018 with the mission to create together a comprehensive dictionary for the Western Apache language. Wil has helped ALC build and create capacity for linguistic growth through its partnership with The Language Conservancy, providing cutting-edge dictionary technologies and bolstering ALC’s growth. Wil is passionate about the creation of this dictionary and is proud that ALC has been able to support language communities since its founding.

Willem de Reuse

Willem has been awarded numerous grants including a National Science Foundation grant for his work with Native American languages. Dr. de Reuse teaches linguistics as an Adjunct Professor at the University of North Texas and is an expert in Western Apache and other Athabaskan languages. He has spent the last twenty years laying the groundwork for a Dilzhe’e Apache dictionary.