Larry Spotted Crow Mann
Director

Larry Spotted Crow Mann is an enrolled citizen of the Hassanamisco Nipmuc Tribe of Massachusetts. He is an award-winning writer, poet, cultural educator, Traditional Storyteller, tribal drummer and motivational speaker involving youth sobriety, cultural and environmental awareness. He has served as a board member of the Nipmuk Cultural Preservation, which is an organization set up to promote the cultural, social and spiritual needs of Nipmuc people as well as an educational resource of Native American studies. Mann also serves as a Review Committee Member, at The Native American Poets Project at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology.

He travels throughout the United States, Canada and parts of Europe to schools, colleges, pow wows and other organizations sharing the music, culture and history of Nipmuc people. He has also given lectures at universities throughout the United States on issues ranging from Native American Sovereignty to Identity.

He is also the first Native American to sing the opening honor song and land acknowledgement at the 2021 Boston Marathon starting line, and the recipient of the 2021 Indigenous Peoples Award of the Berkshire County Branch of the NAACP.

Jasmine Rochelle Goodspeed

Media Specialist

Jasmine Rochelle Goodspeed(she/They) has been working within her community (the Hassanamisco Nipmuc People) since she was a child. As one of the founding members of the Ohketeau Cultural Center in Ashfield, Massachusetts, Goodspeed also works closely with surrounding Indigenous Nations and historical societies, hosting events throughout New England. As an actor, singer, director, and playwright, Goodspeed has extensive experience in productions focused on theatrical storytelling within the realm of historical truth telling. In 2018, Goodspeed wrote, produced, and acted in her musical "1675" at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, recounting the tragedy of Nipmuc, Wampanoag, and Massachusett Native people sent to Deer Island during King Philip’s War. From 2013-2017, Goodspeed produced “Free Shakespeare in the Park” at Northampton’s Look Park. For the Plymouth 400 celebration, Goodspeed worked with the Wampanoag Nation and Theatre Royal Plymouth on a play concerning Indigenous History in Massachusetts. This production, titled "We Are The Land," told the story of colonization from an Indigenous perspective, bringing forward important markers of Massachusetts state history that were previously untold. From 2022 to 2023, Goodspeed worked with Historic Northampton and “Plays in Place” in a successful (sold out) series of place-based plays centered around Northampton history. She authored an original drama about one of the enslaved women – “Rose” – in Reverend Jonathan Edwards' household. She has also directed shows for the Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter School. Recently, Goodspeed worked as an Indigenous History Consultant for the town of Sudbury, Massachusetts, through the Goodnow Library’s “Indigenous History” initiative. Her historical research places her both with historical documents, and moving through Nipmuc lands to better understand the story of colonization.

Reina Antunez Mercado, MSW

Program Manager

Reina Mercado-Antunez, MSW, LCSW is a leader in her Taino community and works diligently to provide opportunities for community engagement. This is both through education within her community and the general public including school settings and public gatherings. In her professional capacity Reina works at the Ohketeau Cultural Center as Program Manager. Reina enjoys facilitating groups, organizing events and providing training opportunities in collaboration with the Ohketeau team and other Indigenous community members. Personally Reina is an avid reader and a lifelong learner who loves to travel and spend quality time with her family. Reina has 4 children ranging in age from 6-23 and she is looking forward to expanding her work into the future while providing her children and other youth opportunities to get involved in meaningful ways.

Bruce Curliss (aka Star)

Board Member, Bruce Curliss (aka Star) is a proud enrolled citizen and tribal Council Member of the Hassanamisco Nipmuc Band. He serves as the Community Advocate for the Hassanamisco Band’s “Nukkone Mayash” (the old ways) and the Waterways Advocate. A lifelong learner, observer, writer, and public speaker, his approach is rooted in Eastern Woodland traditions, blending ancestral knowledge with modern expression. With over 30 years of experience in tribal governance, youth development, Public Policy, and Economic Initiatives, Bruce serves on several boards that benefit various causes, from youth programs to water protection, and is a strong advocate for Blue Mind, promoting the healing power of water. Bruce received the 2024 John H. Chafee Leadership Award from the Blackstone Valley Heritage Corridor for his work within the Blackstone Valley

Dr Kim Frashure

Ohketeau Board Clerk, Dr. Kim Frashure is a tenured Professor, Department Chair, and co-founder of the Environmental Science Program at Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) in Boston, Massachusetts. She holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Science from the University of Massachusetts Boston, an M.S. in Natural Resource Planning from the University of Vermont, and a B.S. in Science Studies from the University of Michigan.

A committed educator and curriculum leader, Dr. Frashure has spearheaded major initiatives to integrate Indigenous perspectives into STEM education, helping to foster a more inclusive and culturally responsive academic environment. She serves as co-Principal Investigator on a NASA-funded project focused on broadening participation in STEM fields, and she has led multiple college-wide faculty development efforts aimed at embedding Indigenous knowledge systems across disciplines.

With more than two decades of experience teaching and developing curriculum for students from elementary through post-secondary levels in both urban and rural communities, Dr. Frashure specializes in experiential, place-based, and land-based education. She is currently developing a new Environmental Studies associate degree program, co-developing a GIS Certificate Program, and creating a new course titled Indigenous Perspectives on Landscapes.
Beyond her academic leadership, Dr. Frashure is the founder of Geospatial Art Maps, LLC., a GIS cartography and consulting business that blends scientific mapping with artistic representation of natural landscapes. A veteran of the U.S. Air Force and an enrolled elder of the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, she brings a lifelong commitment to Indigenous advocacy, environmental stewardship, and community empowerment.

Her work bridges traditional ecological knowledge with contemporary science, ensuring that Indigenous histories, landscapes, and worldviews are represented with authenticity and respect. Dr. Frashure is passionate about supporting Indigenous-led organizations and initiatives that advance educational equity, environmental justice, and cultural preservation.

Brian Chenevert

Ohketeau Board Treasurer, Brian Chenevert is an enrolled citizen of the Nulhegan Abenaki Tribe.

He is a historian, researcher, cultural educator, traditional storyteller, author and consultant.

Brian currently serves as the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Nulhegan Abenaki Tribe and as the Director of the Nulhegan Abenaki Cultural and Historic Preservation Department.

An important part of Brian’s work is ensuring historically relevant and culturally accurate representation of indigenous history and culture. He has been hired by museums, institutions and historical societies across New England as a historical and cultural advisor.

His work as a researcher and advisor has helped to revive the traditional Abenaki winter game of Snow Snakes, which has now been played annually since 2007, as well as the practice of creating dugout canoes.

In 2021 Brian was featured in the PBS documentary “Surviving New England’s Great Dying” where he provided historical information on the devastation caused by first contact with Europeans.

Brian has worked in the financial industry for the last 11 years as a settlement consultant.