Meet the Board: Angela P. Startz

Angela P. Startz grew up surrounded by stories.

In her family, gathering meant conversation—moments where imagination was sparked through laughter, memories, and the simple act of sharing experiences with one another. Those early moments planted something deep within her: a love of narrative and the understanding that stories are one of the ways we make sense of the world.

But there were also stories that never came.

“Our grandfather never shared his culture because of his time in assimilation schools,” Angela says. “And I was bereft of my culture through adoption out of community.”

Like many Indigenous families, the impacts of assimilation created silences where cultural knowledge might otherwise have lived. Pieces of identity that should have been passed down were interrupted, leaving Angela to navigate questions of belonging and heritage largely on her own.

In that absence, storytelling became more than something she loved. It became a way to search.

As she grew older, Angela found herself drawn to creative expression in many forms—writing, acting, dancing. Each offered a different language for exploring identity and connection, a way to express parts of herself that felt difficult to articulate otherwise.

Eventually that path led her into production and media work, where storytelling took on a new dimension. Through collaboration with other Indigenous creatives, Angela began producing a podcast that critically analyzes Indigenous film and television—creating space for artists and audiences to reflect on how Indigenous stories are represented on screen.

For Angela, those conversations are not simply academic.

They are about agency.

“Critical analysis is vital to pushing ourselves to be better and to have more agency over our stories,” she says. “My goal is for the next generation to listen to these conversations and see that they have a place in narrative sovereignty.”

That commitment to narrative sovereignty—the right of Indigenous people to shape and steward their own stories—is part of what drew Angela to Culture Hub.

As an urban Native navigating her own journey of reconnection, she understood how meaningful it can be to find spaces where questions are welcomed and community is built with care. “As a disconnected, urban Native, having a space to feel secure in asking questions, learning more, and supporting others on their reconnecting journey is incredibly important.”

Her first experiences with Culture Hub were deeply personal.

“I first learned to be an Indigenous maker in that space,” she recalls. “It gave me a place to laugh and share and learn with my sisters—where we love and support each other through good times and rough times.”

In many ways, those moments reflect the same spirit that shaped her childhood: people gathering together, sharing knowledge, telling stories, and creating something meaningful from those exchanges.

Now, as a member of Culture Hub’s inaugural Board of Directors, Angela hopes to help strengthen that kind of space for others. For her, leadership is less about authority and more about attentiveness—about recognizing the needs that are not always the loudest in the room. “Quite often, the squeaky wheel gets the grease,” she says. “But it’s the one quietly drowning who needs it the most. A good leader sees the needs of all and brings them to the table.”

It’s a philosophy rooted in care: making sure that community spaces hold room for everyone, especially those still finding their footing.

Angela hopes Culture Hub continues to grow as a place where people can reconnect—with culture, with creativity, and with one another.

“I hope Culture Hub provides a safe space for people to connect so they can have wings to fly.”

Outside of her work, Angela finds joy in spending time with family—something that has taken on even deeper meaning since reconnecting with both of her birth families. The process has added new chapters to her own story, ones she continues to explore with curiosity and gratitude.

And when life presents a moment that requires courage, she leans on a phrase that keeps her moving forward: “Suck it up, buttercup.”

It’s a line delivered with humor, but it carries a simple truth. The path toward community, reconnection, and growth often asks us to do hard things.

Angela P. Startz has never been afraid of that work.

Instead, she meets it the same way she meets every story—with honesty, resilience, and a deep belief that the stories we tell can shape the future we build together.

Please help us welcome Angela to our inaugural board of directors.