Spokesperson and Advocate for
Diplomatic Families and Victims of International Terrorism
Bartley’s career is marked by advocacy on behalf of two causes: HBCUs and achieving justice for the victims of the 1998 al-Qaida bombings of the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya. Bartley’s father, a vice consul, and her brother, then interning at the embassy, were both killed in the attack. Bartley has spent years lobbying on Capitol Hill on behalf of the victims, while also working for the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) and the United Negro College Fund (UNCF). She stepped down as vice president of government affairs at TMCF at the end of 2016 to focus on writing a book related to her advocacy on behalf of the victims of terrorism.
President and CEO, American Indian
Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC)
As president of the AIHEC, Billy advocates for the nation’s 37 tribal colleges and universities. After graduating from Georgetown University Law Center in 1986, Billy worked at a law firm in Washington, D.C., before heeding the call to enter public service. She served as a senior staff member in the office of Sen. Jeff Bingaman, (D-New Mexico), where she helped pass legislation designating tribal colleges as land-grant institutions. She was named the first executive director of the White House Initiative on Tribal Colleges and Universities by President Clinton in 1998. Billy is a member of the Navajo Nation.
