Martin Waukazoo (Rosebud Lakota)

Executive Director

Martin is a Rosebud Lakota who was relocated to the city of San Francisco in the 1950’s, under the Federal Termination Act.

In addition to being a graduate of  the Friendship House’s recovery program, he is recognized as a national urban Indian health leader in and throughout Indian Country. As the founder and former CEO of the Native American Health Center (NAHC), Martin transformed the NAHC into one of the Bay Area's premier community healthcare agencies, offering an array of medical, dental, behavioral health, youth, elder and cultural services to support healthy American Indian individuals and families. Martin serves on the Board of Directors for the California Consortium for Urban Indian Health and has been honored by many organizations, including the California Wellness Foundation with a Health Professionals Diversity Award.

As Executive Director of the Friendship House, Martin is leading a coalition of San Francisco Native non-profits to build the Village SF, an initiative to reclaim an urban Indian community that begins with a six-story building housing services and cultural space for the city’s 18,000 Native peoples.

The Village SF was the dream of Martin’s late wife Helen, who founded Friendship House after being sent to boarding school and relocated to San Francisco. Like Helen, Martin has dedicated his life to lifting up urban American Indians, who remain invisible and underserved. Martin is also a graduate of Black Hills State University, an inductee in the South Dakota High Basketball Hall of Fame, a grandfather, and a role model for countless American Indian youth.