Jackie Malstrom was born in Compton, Calif., and raised in Hillsboro, Ore. Adopted at birth by a non-Native family, Malstrom found out about her heritage at age 18. She hosts two radio shows and works as a two-spirit and adoptee advocate. She has volunteered and worked at the Native American Youth and Family Center with their Portland Youth and Elders Council, which works to better the quality of life of the Portland American Indian and Alaska Native Community by encouraging local leadership, community development, and the practice of culture, values, and traditions. Malstrom is part of the Portland Two-Spirit Society, which advocates for LGBTQI2-S natives living in Portland and was a member of the Two Spirit Nation Camp at the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. She joined the National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA) program team in May 2016 and provides technical assistance in youth engagement to tribes all over the nation and assists with requests for information on the Indian Child Welfare Act and tracing ancestry.

Selected Professional Positions

2016-Present | National Indian Child Welfare Association

2015-present | Portland Youth and Elders Council

2014-present | Host/Producer, KBOO Community Radio, Portland, Ore. (Mentor and collective member of QTPOC Talk-LGBT POC Programming)

2015-2016 | Young Native Ambassadors Program

2015-2016 | Native American Youth and Family Center (intern)

2014-2016 | Assistant Instructor, Audio Storytelling Class, Vancouver, Wash.