ADDISON, TEXAS — Partnership With Native Americans (PWNA), a nonprofit serving immediate needs and supporting long-term solutions for Native Americans living in reservation communities, announced Dec. 10 the appointment of Joshua Arce as its president and chief executive officer effective Jan. 6, 2020.

PWNA’s current president and CEO Robbi Rice Dietrich announced her retirement after seven years with the charity.

Arce, a citizen of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, previously served on PWNA’s board of directors and will now oversee operations for the Native-led and Native-serving nonprofit.

“I am both honored and thrilled by the opportunity to work for Partnership With Native Americans,” Arce said. “The current board and staff have charted a path for success and positioned PWNA with the credibility and relationships to positively impact Native communities. I deeply appreciate their work and look forward to leading PWNA in this next chapter.”

Arce brings more than 20 years’ experience in education management, social work and business development to PWNA.

Originally from Kansas, Arce earned his B.A. in social work from the University of Kansas and then his J.D., specializing in tribal law, applied indigenous leadership, federal Indian law and Indian gaming law.

He most recently served as the first chief information officer of Haskell Indian Nations University.

Earlier, he worked at the University of Kansas Tribal Law and Governance Center and the Prairie Band Potawatomi Tribal Court and served the tribe’s Entertainment Corporation Board.

Arce actively supports the advancement of Native communities, most recently as a volunteer of the court-based Citizen Review Board, a member of Lawrence Memorial Hospital Board’s Inclusion, Diversity and Equity committee, and a board member of the Citizen Review Panel of Kansas for child welfare. Arce joins PWNA in their 30th year of serving Indian country.

PWNA is committed to championing hope for a brighter future for Native Americans living on remote and impoverished reservations.