Robert Martin of the Cherokee Nation received a BA in Sociology from Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina, in 1969; an MA in Sociology from Appalachian State in 1971; and a Doctorate in Education from the University of Kansas, in 1994. He is also a graduate of the Department of Interior’s Senior Executive Development Program; the John Heinz II School of Public Policy and Management, Carnegie-Mellon University; and the Center for Creative Leadership’s Development Program. From 1981 to 1989, Martin was President of Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico; from 1989 to 1999 he served as President of Haskell Indian Nations University in Kansas; from 1999 to 2001 he was a Professor of American Indian Studies at the University of Arizona, in Tuscon; from 2001 to 2005 he was President of Tohono O’odham Community College in Sells, Arizona; and from 2005 to 2007 he was Associate Director of the American Indian Studies Program at the University of Arizona. Martin was named IAIA president by the IAIA Board of Trustees and began the job on July 1, 2007,

 

In 2007 Martin contributed to John Edwards’ Presidential campaign.