Chris James is the President and CEO of the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development, the largest business development and technical assistance training organization in the country for Indigenous businesses. Prior to joining The National Center in 2017, Chris held senior positions at the U.S. Department of the Treasury and Small Business Administration. He grew up in Cherokee, North Carolina, where his family owned businesses on the Qualla Boundary, home of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

Yvette Fielder is an experienced business, economic and workforce development professional brining strategic planning, leadership, and training to develop a broad range of business skills to small businesses, entrepreneurs, and tribal leaders with a proven track record of building strong relationships with tribal communities and enterprises. As a Program Director Yvette oversees the Native Edge Institutes which are NCAIED’s training and educational platform. Yvette is an enrolled member of the MHA Nation, and descendant of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, her clan is the Midibahdi which in the Hidatsa language means Waterbuster. Yvette graduated with honors from The University of Phoenix with her Master’s in Public Administration and her Bachelor’s in Management with a minor in Business. Yvette also completed a certificate business program with The Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.