Ofelia Zepeda, Director, is a member of the Tohono O'odham Nation. She is a Regents professor of linguistics and affiliate faculty of American Indian Studies and the Department of Language, Reading and Culture at the University of Arizona. She teaches Tohono O'odham language courses and survey courses on American Indian languages. Her research areas include language variation, language policy, and issues on endangered languages.

She has authored numerous articles in these areas. She is also author of The Tohono O'odham Grammar and of two books of poetry, much of it written on the O'odham language. Dr. Zepeda is the director of AILDI and was the Principal Investigator and Director of the Ford Foundation Project on Training Native American Language Immersion Teachers. Dr. Zepeda is the recipient of a MacArthur fellowship for her work on Indigenous languages.

Candace K. Galla, Program Coordinator Sr., is from the island of Hawai`i. She came to the University of Arizona in the Fall of 1998 for college. She is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Language, Reading, and Culture with a focus on Indigenous language education, revitalization, and technology. She was a student in AILDI (2004), a co-instructor (2005) for LRC 430/530 (Introduction to Computer Applications for Indigenous Communities), and a Graduate Assistant for 3 years.