Michelle D. Schenandoah

Michelle D. Schenandoah serves as an Adjunct Professor at Syracuse University's College of Law and maintains affiliation with the Center for Global Indigenous Cultures and Environmental Justice. A traditional member of the Onʌyota’:aka (Oneida) Nation Wolf Clan within the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, she bridges Indigenous knowledge systems with contemporary legal and social frameworks.

Her educational background includes:

• B.A. in American Studies and American Indian Studies from Cornell University (1999)
• J.D. from New York Law School (2009)
• LL.M. in Taxation from New York Law School (2012)
• M.S. from Syracuse University S.I. Newhouse School of Communications (2019)

Schenandoah's work centers on rematriation theory, Indigenous women's sovereignty, and decolonizing environmental justice. As founder of the Rematriation nonprofit, she directs initiatives uplifting Indigenous voices through media production including the film An Indigenous Response to #MeToo and the Indigenous Women’s Voices documentary series. Her scholarship manifests primarily through community engagement rather than traditional academic publications, focusing on practical applications of Haudenosaunee governance principles to modern democracy and land rights.

Her notable recognitions include:

• Soros Open Societies Equality Fellowship
• MIT SOLVE Indigenous Communities Fellowship

As a spiritual advisor to the Pope during the First Nations Delegation at the Vatican, she contributed to the historic papal apology regarding residential schools. Schenandoah co-leads Indigenous Concepts Consulting with her husband Neal Powless, developing organizational best practices for non-Indigenous entities through Indigenous lenses while advancing her ancestors' mission to rematriate Oneida lands and restore truthful narratives of Haudenosaunee global influence.