Northern/Southern Paiute-Western Shoshone
Oct 17, 2022
Brian “BB” Melendez
Northern/Southern Paiute-Western Shoshone

Brian “BB” Melendez is an enrolled Tribal citizen of the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony. For the past two decades, he has worked to uplift his community as a grassroots organizer. Melendez is a formerly elected Tribal Legislator on the Tribal Council of the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony, a Sundance Chief and spiritual leader for his Tribe’s summer ceremonies and other ritual dances, and a former Federal Operations Officer for the Bureau of Indian Affairs. He is also a published American Indian spirituality scholar and the host of the Coffee with an Indian podcast. Brian holds a master’s degree in justice management and a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and political science from the University of Nevada, Reno. He previously served as a probation officer building culturally relevant prevention programs for Native families and youth in Reno. In his free time, Brian is composing a novel and is hoping to be completed with the task by the end of 2022.

Sponsors