Ashley is an enrolled member and tribal administrator of the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe, a federally recognized Indian tribe, whose reservation spans the states of Nevada, California, and Arizona. She specializes in multi-state cross-jurisdictional development and management of Tribal economies and government. She holds over 20 years of experience in Tribal enterprising, operational development, and sovereign resource management with emphasis in fiscal and capital wealth strategies, Nevada gaming, Tribal gaming, and public service operations. Ashley holds a B.A. from Yale University, a graduate certificate in nonprofit management, and a master of public administration from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Her work focuses on creating dialogue with Tribal nations and their federal and state stakeholders, as well as sharing content to amplify indigenous voices in the areas of leadership, business management, social policy, and climate action.

Research Interests

• Tribal Sovereignty and Governance
• Tribal Financial Ecosystems and Economic Development
• Tribal Gaming and Tourism
• Organizational Development and Leadership

Selected Publications and Contributions

1. Hemmers, Ashley. 2025. “NoDAPL and the continued fight for Tribal Self-Determination by Federally Recognized Indian Tribes in the United States.” The Routledge Handbook of Grassroots Climate Activism. Ed. by Thomas E. Bell et al. 1st ed. Routledge, 2025. 19–27.
2. Hemmers, Ashley. “The Desert Remembers: Co-Stewardship in the Mojave Desert.” TEDx Talks, 2023, YouTube. 
3. Hemmers, Ashley. “Keeping a Promise This Indigenous Peoples Day.” ICT, 4 Oct. 2023. 
4. Hemmers, Ashley. “Tribal Sovereignty a Key Principle in Biden Administration’s ‘America the Beautiful.’” ICT, 13 May 2021. 
5. Sinclair, Sara. “Ashley Hemmers, Fort Mojave Indian Tribe.” How We Go Home: Voices from Indigenous North America, narrated by Ashley Hemmers, Haymarket Books, 2020, pp. 113–134

Selected Media Features

1. “America at 250: The Indigenous Perspective.” Nevada Week, season 8, episode 50, Vegas PBS, 18 June 2026. PBS,  
2. Miller, Shannon. “Native Americans in Southern Nevada Build for the Future as They Keep Traditions Alive.” Las Vegas Weekly, 6 Nov. 2025. 
3. Preston, Marjorie. “Founding Mothers.” Global Gaming Business Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024. 
4. Dittmar, Kelly. “A Woman Tribal Leader Leads a New National Monument with Distinct Approach to Power.” Forbes, 25 Apr. 2023. 
5. Magill, Bobby. “Antiquities Act Litigation Threatens Nevada Monument Proposal.” Bloomberg Law, 5 Jan. 2023. 
6. Graef, Christine. “At Yale, She’s Telling the American Indian Story to an Eager Audience.” The New York Times, 25 Feb. 2007.