Dr. Amanda "Mandy" Cheromiah
Executive Director, Center for the Futures of Native Peoples
(717) 254-8274 | cheromia@dickinson.edu
Office: Room 206, Center for the Futures of Native Peoples
Dr. Amanda “Mandy” Cheromiah is from Laguna Pueblo (NM). Dr. Cheromiah serves as the Executive Director at the Center for the Futures of Native Peoples at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. She is the granddaughter of Carlisle Indian Industrial School students Howice Seonia (enr. 1895), Benjamin Seonia (enr. 1904), Charles Brown Analla (enr. 1914), and William Seonia (enr. unknown). Her clans are Shaska Sinah Hanu (Roadrunner and Turkey People). She believes one of the greatest gifts she has an educator, mentor, and sister, is the ability to build the confidence of Indigenous Peoples through storytelling, advocacy, mentorship, and digital media. Connect with her on Tiktok|Instagran|X @drcheromiah or at amandacheromiah.com.
John Truden
(he/him/his)
Post Doctoral Fellow (2023)
(717) 254-8273 | trudenj@dickinson.edu
Office: Room 203, Center for the Futures of Native Peoples
John Truden earned his PhD in US History from the University of Oklahoma. His first book- currently under review at the University of Nebraska Press - explores Indigenous-settler relationships in Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas between Reconstruction and the Red Power era. His second book will examine Native America during the 1970s. He has published in both academic journals - notably the Western Historical Quarterly - and in more accessible forums such as Oklahoma Humanities magazine, the Osage News, and the Metro Library Podcast. John Truden worked on extensive projects with the Absentee Shawnee Tribe Cultural Preservation Office, the Seminole Nation Historic Preservation Office, and Greetham Law, the Chickasaw Nation's principal legal counsel. Among other projects at Dickinson College, he coordinates the Indigenous Consortium, a campus wide (and beyond) monthly discussion group for faculty interested in Indigenous issues. Outside of academia, John Truden and his wife Emily enjoy traveling, trying new foods, reading together, and playing with their dog Ruffles.
Andrea Lopez
(she/her/hers)
Visiting Assistant Professor of Spanish & Portuguese (2021).
(717) 245-1539 | lopezand@dickinson.edu
Office: Room M05, Bosler HallB.A.
Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, 2015; M.A., Vanderbilt University, 2018; Ph.D., 2021
Amalia Pesantes Villa
Assistant Professor of Anthropology (2020). | pesantma@dickinson.edu
Office: Room104, Denny Hall
I received my Ph.D. in Medical Anthropology and M.P.H. from the University of Pittsburgh in 2014. I also have a Master's degree in International Development from Clark University. My research looks at health inequalities among vulnerable populations. I study the challenges faced by Indigenous people to access culturally-appropriate health care and to have their medical traditions recognized and incorporated into state health services. I also conduct research about the experiences and health needs of underserved populations with chronic conditions. I am especially interested in research that can contribute to designing better strategies to improve healthcare access for people with diabetes and hypertension in low and middle income countries.
Christopher Bilodeau
Associate Professor of History (2006).
(717) 245-1385 | bilodeac@dickinson.edu
Office: Room 207, Denny Hall
He focuses his research on the history of American Indian-European interaction during the American colonial period, paying particular attention to the French, English, and Indian interaction. He teaches courses on Colonial America, the American Revolution, American Indian History, and the roles that violence plays in colonial situations.