The Virginia G. Piper
Center for Creative Writing

Valaura Imus-Nahsonhoya (Hopi Tribe) has eighteen (18) years of direct victim services to crime victims, working in Tribal communities addressing historical trauma and trauma informed practices. Executive Director with Honwungsi Consulting Services, LLC and Chief Executive Officer of Omauw Resource Center, 501(c)3. Employed with National Criminal Justice Training Center of Fox Valley Technical College by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Tribal Liaison/Study Coordinator for Arizona House Bill 2570, Study on Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, Men and Boys with LeCroy and Milligan and Arizona State University, Office of Criminal Justice, Criminology Lab. She has worked for Bureau of Indian Affairs, Office of Justice Services Victim Assistance Program as a Supervisory Victim Specialist and for the Department of the Interior (DOI), Office of Law Enforcement and Security.  She is the first Victim Specialist to work with DOI Office of Law Enforcement & Security and crime victims served by the Bureau of Indian Affairs District III. Previously she worked for the Hopi Tribe in Arizona as the Program Director of the Hopi Domestic Violence Program and served as Legal Advocate for the Office of the Hopi Tribal Prosecutor. Mrs. Imus-Nahsonhoya received the Department of the Interior’s Certificate of Appreciation for her excellent leadership during the installation and development of the Department’s Victim Assistance Program at the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Phoenix Office. Mrs. Imus-Nahsonhoya earned Bachelor of Science in Health Promotion from Northern Arizona University and a Master of Science in Criminal Justice with an Emphasis in Legal Studies from Grand Canyon University. She has also earned a Legal Advocate Certification through National Tribal Trial College/Wisconsin Law School. Certified as a Domestic Violence Trainer by the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) and Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training (AzPOST). Certified in Peer Support. Certified in Human Subject-Social Behavioral Research.