Background
Reyes was born in Portland, Oregon. Her mother, born Mary Christian, was Sin Aikst (now known as Lakes tribe, one of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation). Her father, Julian Reyes, was Filipino, but had largely assimilated to an Indian way of life.
Her mother"s father, Alex Christian, was known as Pic Ah Kelowna, "White Grizzly Bear".
Her great uncle (brother of her maternal grandmother) was Chief James Bernard, a Sin Aikst leader in the early 20th century.
Career
As executive director of the Seattle Indian Health Board (SIHB) 1972–1982, she grew that institution from a staff of five to nearly 200 and made it a model for urban Indian institutions. Subsequently, she worked for the federal Indian Health Service, eventually becoming deputy director of that 14,000-person institution. Reyes" early childhood was spent largely on the Colville Indian Reservation in Washington.
Subsequently, after a brief stint as executive director of the Puyallup Nation Health Authority community health program, she worked at the headquarters of the federal Indian Health Service (Rockville, Maryland), eventually becoming director of headquarters operations, chief financial officer, and deputy director of that 14,000-person institution.
She had one child, a daughter, Kecia, born in 1985. There is now a Luana Reyes Leadership Award named in her honor.
