UND Law’s Dan Lewerenz recognized by National Indian Child Welfare Association

Dan Lewerenz, assistant professor at the UND School of Law, was recently selected as October’s “Member of the Month” for the National Indian Child Welfare Association.

Lewerenz, a member of the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska, previously worked as a staff attorney for the Native American Rights Fund in Washington, D.C., a longtime partner of NICWA.

The national organization is a nonprofit supporting the safety, health and spiritual strength of American Indian and Alaska Native children, according to NICWA’s website. Based in Portland, Ore., NICWA advocates for measures at all levels of government to promote and protect child welfare among American Indian tribes and communities.

In a Q&A for the organization’s “Member Spotlight” newsletter, Lewerenz said family is of crucial importance to Native people.

“It’s how we know who we are,” he said. “It’s how we pass along our knowledge. In so many ways, family is how we relate to the world. And our families take care of one another. That is one of the reasons it is so important to protect Indian families.”

Having joined UND’s faculty in 2022, Lewerenz teaches courses in federal Indian law and civil procedure. His research interests include statutory interpretation in Indian law and tribal governance in an era of dispersed tribal populations.