Leola Tsinnajinnie Paquin, Ph.D. [Diné/Filipina & traditionally accepted into Santa Ana Pueblo] is an Associate Professor at the University of New Mexico (UNM) in Native American Studies. She earned a BA in Sociology and an MA in American Indian Studies from the University of Arizona.  She obtained her PhD in Educational Thought and Sociocultural Studies from UNM.  She taught at the tribal college Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute before joining NAS as a full-time faculty member. Her research and service activities focus on Indigenous educational sovereignty and wellbeing. She is a member of the Institute for American Indian Education (IAIE), Online Course Advisory Council having earned Golden Paw Certification, and a longtime member of the UNM Diversity Council Curriculum Subcommittee.  She has been an Expanding Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences Faculty Fellow, Student Experience Project Fellow and an Academic Affairs General Education Faculty Fellow on Race and Social Justice.  Beyond UNM, she has also served as President of the American Indian Studies Association Council and on the New Mexico American Civil Liberties Union Board of Directors. 

Dr. Paquin’s published work includes article contributions to the Wicazo Sa Review, SAGE Methods and Diversifying and Decolonizing Research Digital Multimedia Collection, Journal of the West, and the Journal of American Indian Education. Her chapter contributions include the books: Critical Youth Research in Education – Methodologies of Praxis and Care, Applying Indigenous Research Methods: Storying with Peoples and Communities, Indigenous Motherhood in the Academy, The Yazzie Case: Interrogating the Martinez/Yazzie v. New Mexico Lawsuit; and Indigenous Health and Justice.  She has collaborated with numerous school districts and colleges in New Mexico to support the growth of Indigenous platforms, production of gray literature, and curriculum building. 

She has been an active faculty mentor in UNM’s Graduate Studies Faculty Mentoring Program, El Puente Research Fellowship, and Arts & Sciences Support for Undergraduate Research Experience Fellowship.  Her most profound experience as an Associate Professor is being able to teach and form connections with her students as they work toward their goals in contributing to their communities. She is the 2024-2026 UNM Presidential Teaching Fellow and the UNM Alumni Association Faculty Teaching Award Recipient for 2025.  Her platform is “Faculty Wellbeing as Pedagogy: Building a Sustainable Community of Practice.” She is a joyful member of the Running Medicine movement community which centers the intersection of her academic identities and family roles.