Community members Jan Saiz, Patty Loew, DJ Klauser, Sandy Whitehawk, Evan Norris and many others helped sustain NACOM after it was founded on 04/13/1994 as a Non-Stock Corporation. NACOM was created to build and nuture the Native American community in the greater Madison-area. Early representatives from NACOM served on local community boards, including recent ones like Communities United organized
by the Madison Mayor's Office under Dave Cieslewicz, to give voice to Native American community needs, issues, and successes. In addition to having community events during the year at local community centers, the founders' vision included raising funds towards an American Indian center in town as place for the community to meet and organize. With the original NACOM members moving on to other things in the mid-2000s, NACOM administratively dissolved its Non-Stock Corporation Status, and is now known as the Native American Community of Madison. "NACOM today serves as an informal information sharing group and an administrative contributor to the annual Madison-area American Indian and Alaska Native student graduation. With many new families in the area, it is a good time for NACOM to again bring the many wonderful people of the community together to celebrate the many cultures, languages, and nations in our diverse community. The hills and shores of Lake Mendota and Lake Monona have been continuously occupied by people for 12,000 years.
