Former KS Rep named Tribal Community Impact Director

9 June 2023

TOPEKA (KSNT) – The first Native American woman elected to the Kansas House of Representatives has been named the American Heart Association Tribal Community Impact Director.

Ponka-We Victors-Cozad is a member of the Tohono O’odham Nation of Arizona and Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma and knows the needs of tribal communities, according to the American Heart Association (AHA).

The position is grant funded by the Sunflower Foundation and the American Heart Association to improve the health of Native Americans in the state, according to AHA.

Victors-Cozad served 12 years and six terms in office as a state representative. She served on committees for transportation budget, veterans and child support enforcement and collections.

Victors-Cozad helped pass laws to support tribes, domestic crime victims, schools, undocumented students and families, tribal sovereignty and more, according to a press release from AHA.


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“For the past 12 years in the state legislature, I learned so much about the issues that are important to the tribes and communities in Kansas that will help me be successful in my new role,” Victors-Cozad said. “I have attended some of their tribal ceremonies and dances. When I decided to retire from the state legislature, I knew I wanted to continue to work with the tribes in Kansas. This is exactly what my new role does.”

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