Sarah Liese (Twilla)
Indigenous Affairs reporterSarah Liese (Twilla) reports on Indigenous Affairs for KOSU.
Liese is Diné and an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians. She is passionate about heart-centered storytelling and works as an Indigenous Affairs reporter at KOSU. She joined the team in April 2024.
Sarah's Navajo name is Twilla, which means "Sparkle Upon the Water."
Liese is from Saint Louis, Missouri, and received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the School of Journalism and New Media at the University of Mississippi in 2019. Following graduation, she worked at WLOX-TV in Biloxi, Mississippi, as a Producer-In-Residence Fellow and Digital Content Producer. She hungered for more schooling and enrolled at Ohio University to pursue a Master of Science degree. While in graduate school, she was awarded the Outstanding Master's Student Award in 2022 from the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism.
Liese has presented her findings at the International Indigenous Climate Change Research Summit and International Indigenous Research Conference, and has received multiple fellowships from the Sundance Institute and the Indigenous Journalist Association.
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On his final day in office, President Joe Biden commuted Leonard Peltier, an 80-year-old Turtle Mountain Chippewa man convicted of killing two FBI agents. Many Indigenous communities around the state and nation are celebrating the decision. -
Rep. Scott Fetgatter will step into a new role for the Oklahoma House of Representatives this legislative session, establishing the state’s first Tribal External Affairs Leader. -
A tribal casino resort in northern California’s wine country got the green light last week, and the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma will help with its development and operations. -
After Westwin Elements held its ribbon cutting last August, the Kiowa Tribe is taking action to ensure the nickel-processing plant is not a threat to the communities in southwest Oklahoma. -
The 61-year-old Republican announced his candidacy for the position Monday in Pawhuska, the home of his prominent cattle ranching family. -
More than 50 Indigenous high school seniors participated in the first Native American All-Star Football Game in Dallas, preparing them for life after graduation and enhancing their football skills. -
Climate change is causing more floods across the globe. In Oklahoma, that flooding has an outsized impact on Indigenous communities. Here's how one tribal nation is working to mitigate the threats. -
Many in the Kiowa community remember the respected elder and spiritual leader for his work as the tribe’s cultural preservation director and the principal singer for the Kiowa Black Leggings Warrior Society. He was also an officer at the Kiowa Chapter of the Native American Church. -
The Osage Nation is again trying to convince a federal judge in Tulsa to reaffirm its reservation despite the Tenth Circuit of Appeal’s ruling in 2010 in the Osage Nation v. Irby case. The court found the 1906 Osage Allotment Act disestablished it. -
The Muscogee Nation and Oklahoma have agreed to extend a tobacco tax compact for three months.
