Dr. Traci Morris is a leading architect of Tribal Digital Sovereignty (TDS) — the governance framework through which Tribal Nations assert authority over their digital ecosystems, from broadband infrastructure and data governance to AI and emerging technologies. She serves as Executive Director of the Tribal Nations Policy Institute (TNPI) and Research Professor at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State University. She is a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation.
Under her leadership, TNPI relocated to ASU Law and co-founded the Center for Tribal Digital Sovereignty with the National Congress of American Indians — the first and only center in the nation dedicated to supporting Tribal governments in navigating digital sovereignty. Her work spans tribally driven policy analysis, capacity building through the Indigenous Leadership Academy, and expert testimony before the FCC and on Capitol Hill.
Her 2026 scholarship advances TDS on two fronts: as guest editor of a special issue of the Journal of Community Informatics, "Charting Sovereignty in the Digital Age," she contributed foundational articles defining TDS and documenting four decades of tribal telecommunications advocacy; and as co-author of the Brookings Institution paper "Avoiding the Next Digital Divide: Defining Digital Sovereignty for Tribal Nations in the AI Age," drawing on the AI in Indian Country conference she co-hosted at ASU in 2025. Her earlier research includes the landmark Tribal Technology Assessment (2019) and editing Native American Voices: A Reader.
Dr. Morris holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in American Indian Studies from the University of Arizona. Connect to explore partnerships in advancing tribal self-determination through technology and policy.