Meet our Team

Glenda Breiler

Director, Tribal Government Affairs

Glenda is a Colville Tribal member of the Okanagan band, she was born and raised on the Colville Reservation. She is Director of Tribal Government Affairs at the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC). In this role, she collaborates in partnership with Washington Tribal governments and the 34 community and technical colleges to focus on higher education, workforce development, and training on government-to-government relationships. Glenda develops implementation plans that center Indigenous history and celebrates the continued existence and self-determination of Washington Tribes. She serves as an adjunct faculty member of Indigenous and Environmental Studies at The Evergreen State College.

Before joining SBCTC, Glenda worked as the Director of Tribal Relations at the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. In this position, she worked closely with Washington State's 29 Tribes to ensure the health and resilience of the land and water under the department's stewardship. Glenda successfully obtained additional funding to expand the Tribal Relations program and established a government-to-government policy with WA Tribes.

Throughout her career, Glenda has focused on promoting Indigenous arts and cultures. She served as the director of the Evergreen Longhouse at The Evergreen State College, where she led efforts to foster Indigenous arts and cultures both on campus and in Washington. She also played a key role in establishing and securing funding for a scholarship program for MPA-Tribal Governance students in honor of Sen. John McCoy. Additionally, Glenda has worked closely with Tribal leaders, elders, and community members from various regions to expand tribal cultural activities.

Glenda earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Human Services with a focus on Native studies from Western Washington University and a Master of Social Work with a specialization in Indian Child Welfare from the University of Washington. She currently resides in Olympia, WA with her husband and two children.

Maya Esquivido

Program Manager

Maya Esquivido is an enrolled member of the Nor Rel Muk Wintu Nation, and Hupa. After completing a BA in American Indian Studies, a Master of Social Work Degree, and a Graduate Certificate in American Indian & Indigenous Studies (AIIS), she was awarded a University of Washington (UW) Teaching & Curriculum Design Fellowship at Seattle Central College. 

As a part-time professor in the American Ethnic Studies Department, she has developed curriculum for AIIS. Additionally, Maya was the Program Coordinator and co-Faculty Lead for the National Endowment for Humanities Grant to redesign the humanities curriculum to center Native American histories, culture, and epistemologies.  

SBCTC has contracted with Maya as a curriculum designer and lead facilitator for the Tribal Stewards Program, for which she is a co-founder. 

Most recent, Maya has been accepted into the Indigenous-Centered Educational Leadership Doctoral Program at the UW Tacoma, Muckleshoot Cohort and is serving as the UW Tacoma Pre-Doctoral Teaching Fellow, AIIS courses. Learning Indigenous-centered curriculum and approaches in educational leadership will aid Maya in her endeavors to implement policies for intentional hiring and retainment of Native professionals within community and technical colleges. 

Courtnay Llacuna

Administrative Assistant

Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, Courtnay Llacuna is a graduate of Saint Martin's University with degrees in Psychology and Sociology. 

Courtnay began her career in 2018 working for Shoreline Community College as a Program Assistant. She then found her passion when she became the AANAPISI program coordinator serving the API community, attending seminars, and creating programs with her program director for the API students and community members. She was at Shoreline for four years before coming to SBCTC.

Courtnay’s hobbies include tennis, piano, and spending time with her energetic Border Collie named Kaia. Additionally, she is dedicated to helping API communities by going back to Hawaii every year to volunteer and assist in opportunities for various organizations, churches, and businesses.