Meet kelly
Consultant, Trainer
& Adjunct Professor
Kelly Tannehill is a consulting and training professional with more than 17 years of experience in Indian child welfare. She serves as an Adjunct Professor in the Master of Social Work Program at the University of Oklahoma, where she teaches Tribal-focused coursework and advances culturally informed social work practice.
Kelly’s work centers on strengthening Tribal Nations child welfare systems through high-quality training, curriculum development, and healing-centered, culturally rooted approaches. She specializes in designing and delivering Tribal-specific training that supports ICWA practice, caregiver development, workforce capacity, and community wellness.
With extensive frontline and supervisory experience, Kelly bridges academic knowledge with practical application. Her trainings equip Tribal programs with culturally responsive, evidence-based tools to enhance service delivery and support the well-being of Native children, youth, families, and caregivers.
What We Do
Executive Coaching
We provide culturally responsive executive coaching for Tribal leaders and program administrators, offering guidance grounded in 17+ years of child welfare experience to strengthen leadership capacity, program development, and organizational effectiveness.
Planning
We support Tribal Nations with strategic planning, program development, and system strengthening. Our approaches are culturally rooted, community driven, and designed to enhance service delivery for Indigenous children and families.
Training
We deliver comprehensive, culturally grounded training programs for Tribal child welfare, social services, and community programs. Trainings emphasize ICWA best practices, trauma- and healing-informed approaches, workforce development, and culturally centered caregiver support.
Community Engagement
We collaborate with Tribal Nations to build community-centered solutions-training caregivers, partnering with elders and culture keepers, creating curriculum, and supporting initiatives that strengthen cultural continuity and family wellness.
“You make a difference.” – Recent Training Participant
Our Team
Shawnee (Kickapoo) Martinez, a proud member of the Absentee Shawnee Tribe, is a lifelong advocate for Native children and families. With over 25 years of experience in tribal government and six years as Indian Child Welfare Director, she is dedicated to protecting Native children’s rights, strengthening families, and preserving culture. Drawing from her own experiences in kinship foster care, Shawnee leads with compassion, cultural grounding, and a strong commitment to ensuring every Native child grows up connected to their people, culture, and land. She has worked with leaders, service providers, and partners to support child welfare initiatives and strengthen systems. Her work centers on advocacy, prevention, and creating pathways for children and families to thrive.
Nethia Wallace is a citizen of the Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma and an adoptive parent. She has her bachelor’s degree in business administration with 18 years of experience working in Indian Child Welfare. She was former ICW Director of the Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma and currently the ICW Foster Care Manager of the Sac and Fox Nation. She has served on the Oklahoma Indian Child Welfare Association board in different capacities, including Member-At-Large, Vice President, and President. In addition, she served on the board for the Shawnee Area Native American Child Protection Team as President, Treasurer, and Secretary for many years. She is one of the original authors of Circle of Keepers and has trained the Circle of Keepers Foster Care Warrior training for over 11 years.
Our Clients
We serve a wide range of partners dedicated to strengthening Tribal child welfare and supporting Indigenous families. Clients include Tribal governments, Indigenous organizations, Tribal and state child welfare programs, caregiver networks, and community-based programs seeking culturally responsive training and consulting. Our partners share a commitment to protecting Native children, honoring cultural values, and building strong, sustainable Tribal systems.
Recognized as an Exemplary Practice by the Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network, Circle of Keepers is a culturally grounded caregiver training rooted in Tribal values and community.
Originally developed through Shawnee Area Native American Child Protection Team, the curriculum continues to grow through Tribal partnerships. Updates to the training were co-developed by
Kelly Tannehill, with original authors including Nethia Wallace.
Through a Train-the-Trainer model, programs receive the full curriculum and can deliver modules over time, building and strengthening their caregiver community in a way that fits their needs.
Training & Consulting Services
Kelly Tannehill provides culturally grounded, healing-centered training and consulting designed to strengthen Tribal child welfare and social service systems, support Indigenous families, and honor Tribal sovereignty and community knowledge. She develops Tribal-specific training and curriculum tailored to each Nation, available in-person, virtual, or hybrid formats as one-day sessions, multi-day intensives, or ongoing series. Kelly also designs custom forms and practice tools that are culturally responsive, practice-ready, and aligned with Tribal code and ICWA requirements.
- ICWA 360° – Six-Module Comprehensive ICWA Training Series
- ICWA 101: Foundations of Indian Child Welfare
- Qualified Expert Witness (QEW) Training
- ICWA Inquiry, Notice & Documentation Requirements
- Active Efforts: Practice, Documentation & Court Preparation
- Emergency Removal Standards & Tribal Response
- Writing Effective ICWA Court Reports
- Tribal–State Collaboration & Protocol Development
- Family Finding & Kinship Engagement
- Cultural Engagement for ICWA Caseworkers
- Development of Tribal Foster Care Licensing Standards
- Dynamics of Domestic Violence within Native American Families & Its Relationship to Child Maltreatment
- Survivor-Centered, Safety-Focused Approaches that Avoid Blame of the Non-Offending Caregiver
- Understanding Coercive Control, Power, and Trauma in Tribal Contexts
- Coordinated Response Between Tribal Child Welfare, DV Programs, and Courts
- Culturally Responsive Assessment and Case Planning in DV-Impacted Families
- Circle of Keepers: Fostering Tribal Communities (Full Curriculum)
- Native American Parenting Certification – T.R.I.B.E.S. Program
- Trauma-Informed Care for Tribal Caregivers
- Culturally Centered Parenting & Cultural Continuity
- Kinship Caregiver & Grandfamilies Support
- Caregiver Recruitment, Retention & Support Systems
- Preparing Caregivers for Certification, Home Inspections & Background Checks
- MMIP/MMIW Prevention Curriculum (Youth & Community-Based)
- School & Community Education (Ages 12+)
- Online Safety & Exploitation Prevention
- Strengthening Tribal MDTs (Multidisciplinary Teams)
- Community Healing & Response Following Crisis
- Supervising in Tribal Child Welfare
- Trauma-Informed Leadership
- Workforce Wellness, Burnout Prevention & Retention
- Building Effective Tribal Child Welfare Teams
- Program Evaluation & Continuous Quality Improvement
- Grant Writing Basics for Tribal Programs
- Laws, codes, and policies
- Cultural values and community priorities
- Workforce needs and program structure
- Intake and assessment forms
- Safety and risk assessment tools
- Home visit templates
- Case planning and active efforts documentation
- MDT protocols and scripts
- Caregiver guides and staff manuals
Recent Reviews
“Very personal… great connection.
It pushed us to do more.”
“From start to finish, the process was seamless. It’s better than I imagined, and the customer support was incredibly responsive and friendly.”
“Fantastic presenter.
This really got us thinking outside the box.”
KT Full Circle Training 