US SIF Board Nominee: Janie Simms Hipp
Janie Simms Hipp
Janie Simms Hipp, J.D., LL.M. is a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma and serves as the Founding CEO of Native Agriculture Financial Services, a financing institution affiliated with the Farm Credit System of lending institutions chartered to serve rural and agriculture communities. Before serving at NAFS, Ms. Hipp was the fourth woman and first Native lawyer nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate to serve as USDA General Counsel. She previously served as the founding CEO of the Native American Agriculture Fund; and launched the USDA Office of Tribal Relations in the Office of Secretary Tom Vilsack. She served as Senior Advisor for Tribal Relations to Secretary Vilsack and as a National Program Leader at USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. She has over forty years of experience as an advisor and agricultural lawyer at the domestic and international level. She has been a licensed attorney in Oklahoma since 1984 and specializes in the intersection of food and agriculture law, sustainability, and Indian law.
She has been recognized as Distinguished Alumni by the University of Arkansas and Oklahoma City University; and has received numerous other national awards. She has been recognized twice by the American Agricultural Law Association as a distinguished agricultural lawyer and has served on numerous national boards in the nonprofit sector, as well as several advisory committees to the federal government. She has also been inducted into the Chickasaw Nation Hall of Fame. Full resume, including publications, presentations, awards, and education, can be transmitted upon request.
Election Statement
I have been involved with US SIF for less than a year, having been introduced to US SIF leadership through mutual acquaintances and colleagues. Over the past year (2025), I have been honored to assist US SIF in helping to inform its release of specific Indigenous-focused publications, initiatives, and public-facing resources. Understanding the unique challenges faced by Native communities and Tribal governments in the realm of energy investment can be filled with possibilities for important successes, but also significant misunderstanding of not only the historical context of Indigenous communities, but the unique means by which deeper commitment to sustainable investment in their futures can be pursued. Being involved with the Advisory Committee to US SIF’s work in these spaces is an honor and privilege and I have thoroughly enjoyed gaining greater understanding US SIF’s goals in the broader spaces of sustainable investment and its desires to make positive impact in Indigenous communities. I am hopeful that by serving on the US SIF Board, I can find ways to continue serving the important mission of US SIF in sustainability and investments.
The world continues to face significant challenges in the realm of energy and finance/investment; that is clear. But my expertise and background are in the intersection of finance/investment, sustainability, and the agriculture sector. US SIF has a unique opportunity to lead research, dialogue, convening, and developing common understanding around sustainability and investment/finance in many sectors. I would hope that by serving on the Board, the opportunity for US SIF’s voices to be heard in agriculture can also be more fully developed.
I have over 40 years of deep experience in the intersection of agriculture law and policy, sustainability, and the work of Indigenous communities. I have held positions which have required me to navigate multiple Indigenous cultures throughout the country, and I have also interacted with other Indigenous leaders at the international level, although not as frequently as I have within the US domestic community.
I believe that sustainability and investment in key sectors are the challenges of our time. The agriculture sector throughout the US has been strong for many years but is reaching a moment of generational shift. The current fragility we see in the production communities, the supply chains, and the access to food by consumers, will come to a head within the next several years. The timing could not be better for US SIF to bring its years of experience in other spaces into the space of agriculture, because for the sector to plan its next 100 years, it must do so on a solid foundation of investment and finance.