Henry Jake Foreman

Henry Jake Foreman, MCRP (Absentee Shawnee – the tribe of Tecumseh) is Program Director at New Mexico Community Capital and one of the leading voices working at the intersection of emerging technology and Indigenous economic sovereignty. As an Indigenous technologist, he has spent years asking a question most of the tech industry hasn't: what would AI, Web3, and digital tools look like if they were built around Indigenous values of reciprocity, shared ownership, and data sovereignty rather than extraction? His work is about putting those tools in the hands of Native entrepreneurs in ways that strengthen rather than displace traditional knowledge.

In 2022 Henry founded IndigiDAO, a decentralized cooperative project that helps Indigenous artisans authenticate their work, protect their data, and access alternatives to traditional banks and lending institutions. IndigiDAO has been recognized as an MIT Solve finalist, a CoinDesk Web3athon finalist, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Pioneering Ideas grantee, and an Interledger Foundation micro grantee. He is also the founder of Karuna Colectiva, an intergenerational cooperative grounded in mentorship, bicycling, and Indigenous ways of knowing.

At NMCC, Henry has built and led much of the organization's nationally recognized curriculum, including Financial and Business Basics, Digital Media and Marketing Basics, and the Native Farmer in Residence program. He was the first Grow with Google Digital Coach for Indigenous Communities and has been part of the Indian Country Digital Trainers program with the National Congress of American Indians since 2019. Today he is a sought-after trainer on AI-powered tools for small business growth, helping Native entrepreneurs use generative AI, automation, and analytics to streamline operations and expand their reach without losing cultural grounding.

Henry holds a Master's in Community and Regional Planning and previously taught at the Native American Community Academy in Albuquerque. His work is guided by praxis, the practice of reflecting on the world in order to transform it, and by a conviction that Indigenous knowledge belongs at the center of how we design the technologies of the next economy. He brings to every stage a clear and practical message: the future of AI and emerging tech is not yet decided, and Indigenous communities have something essential to teach about how to build it well.