As a senior program officer, Tony (naschio) builds relationships with communities and grantees, and helps shape grantmaking and program strategies – all in service of building power to ensure equity and racial justice for communities in every corner of Washington State. Born and raised in Southwest Washington, Tony is a member of the Chinook Indian Nation and actively serves his community in a number of roles. He was a committed student to his elders and built a career teaching and sharing the knowledge he received from them. He has worked for the Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe and the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde to assist them in culture and language revitalization, and other important work. He brings deep, multi-generational connections with tribal and non-tribal communities throughout the state and a personal understanding of the socioeconomic injustices present in many rural communities.
Tony is a founding member of his community’s canoe family and enjoys making the objects and items necessary to carry on the traditions of his people. He is also known for his public art installations. One of his most recent projects is a large-scale installation, a piece reflecting the arrival of a Chinookan canoe carrying the cultural heroes of the Columbia River, can be seen on display at the entry plaza of the new Burke Museum in Seattle.
He and his family live above the Willapa River in Pacific County and work daily to uplift the voices and teachings of their ancestors while fighting for the most underrepresented members of their community.