Jeremy Ryan Aliason, JD

Jeremy Aliason is a proud member of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma. He also belongs to the Muscogee people and is Filipino on his paternal side. While he grew up on military bases in his formative years, he spent summers with his Indian grandparents learning and practicing his native culture. He is a proud member of Seminole/Eufaula Cultural Stomp Grounds.

Jeremy attended public high school in OKC. He was a University Scholar at the University of Oklahoma. There he held several leadership positions in both student and university organizations. He graduated in 1996. His greatest accomplishments in college were forming new Native student organizations to offer recruitment and retention of the growing native population.

Jeremy received his Juris Doctor in 2001 for the Lewis & Clark Law School in the Pacific Northwest. He practiced Indian Law and poverty law for the last two decades. He has served Indian Country in many different capacities. He has always been passionate about creating and maintaining educational opportunities for Native Students.

Jeremy currently lives in Fresno, California on the traditional homelands of the Yokuts and Mono peoples. He is the father of two strong young women. Ruby is a 2nd year Honors College student at the University of Hawaii. His youngest daughter, Elena, is a sophomore at Clovis West HS and is interested in pursuing a college education in a STEM field. Jeremy’s best friend and loving wife of over 20 years is Dr. Inger Aliason, a pediatric anesthesiologist serving Valley Children’s Hospital.

Jeremy is extremely excited and humbled by the opportunity to serve on the KCLC Board of Directors. He believes language preservation is a key to educational success. Several family members were the products of Government-funded Indian boarding schools, which resulted in a loss of foundational language development. While his family remains culturally strong and identifiably proud, there is no doubt that harsh and insensitive governmental policies took a toll on his people. He works daily to strengthen native communities from multiple vantage points.

In your role as a board member, why do you support KCLC’s mission?

“I bring my experience as an attorney, an educator, and a Native American man and father to serve on the board. My unique experience fighting for the rights of Native people, tribes, and organizations over the last 20 years has yielded a cynical vantage point. One that is constantly evaluating situations for fairness. This critical approach is crucial when an organization is considering its legal options. While this is an excellent approach to practicing law, it is a very limiting approach to life and doesn’t often align with my cultural identity as a Seminole man. 

I am excited to serve on the Board of KCLC because my role requires me to use the multiple facets of my experience to serve the board. My experience allows me to give my best to KCLC in a good way that reflects my professional, personal and cultural perspective.”