Tom Rodgers
Tom Rodgers (born July 28, 1960) is a Native American activist and advocate for tribal issues. Based in Washington, D.C., Rodgers is an enrolled member of the Blackfeet Nation in Montana, where translated from the Siksiká language he is called "One who Rides his Horse East." In 1994, Rodgers founded Carlyle Consulting, a governmental/media/public strategies firm located in Alexandria, Virginia that represents the interests of Native Americans. He was included on Politico's 2023 Recast Power List of 40 most powerful people on race and politics.
Emerging as a potent voice for Indigenous Americans in 2002, Rodgers played a key role in the investigation that led to the conviction of former lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who bilked millions of dollars from tribal partners. Since then, Rodgers has waged a Native American Voting Rights effort to help provide Native Americans on remote, poverty-stricken reservations with equal access to voting, and has worked to educate Congress, the public and media about the dark tragedy of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls in the U.S. and Canada. More recently, Rodgers joined in the effort to get Yellowstone National Park to rename a mountain First People's Mountain to honor slaughtered Native Americans by removing the name of U.S. Army captain who massacred them.
Rodgers is also considered one of the leading advocates in Washington and the indigenous communities for cannabis reform with a focus on opportunity and equity, and opening up legal access to plant medicines with mindful respect for traditional Native American healing practices. A strong supporter of repatriation of indigenous remains, Rodgers is currently engaged in an effort to return to his native land the remains and spirit of legendary athlete Jim Thorpe.
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