Before earning her bachelor’s degree, Silas worked for eight years at Motorola as a Senior Administrative Specialist. She managed eleven stores in five states, providing audits, training, and improved communications systems. After graduating from DePaul University, Silas joined the American Indian Economic Development Association (AIEDA) as the Housing Coordinator. In this position, she assisted the Chicago American Indian community – 94 percent of whom are renters – with their housing needs. She provided workshops on tenant rights and home ownership, as well as crisis mediation and intervention services. As the organization grew, she was promoted to Program Director, overseeing housing programs, research and advocacy, and cultural arts. She eventually became the organization’s Associate Director.

            With this experience, in 1996, she accepted a job with the Metropolitan Tenants Organization as Executive Director. Silas worked on aggressive grassroots campaigns defending and promoting tenant rights. These early jobs exposed her to environmental issues as she worked on problems related to lead poisoning and mold. From 1998 to 1999, Silas was a fellow with Leadership Greater Chicago. In 2003, she received the Barbara Grau Award issued by the Lawyer’s Committee for Better Housing.

In 2004, Silas was named an American Indian Science & Engineering Society (AISES) Sequoyah Fellow. From 2004 to 2012, Silas served as the CEO of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society, also known as AISES (aces). Formed in the 1970s, the organization sought to graduate American Indian students with degrees in science, engineering, and other technical fields. Under Silas’s leadership, she expanded this goal to encourage students to obtain their educational success and direct their success towards community goals. Whether in an urban setting or a reservation tribal community, they can use their skills to benefit a large group. To date, more than 17,000 Native Americans have participated in the AISES program and work in fields related to science and engineering.

            From 2006 to 2010, Silas was a board member of ASCENT – Leading Multicultural Women to the Top. In 2008, she was an American Society of Association Executives DELP Scholar. In 2012, Silas joined Authentic Management & Consulting Services as an Independent consultant. She specializes in providing management services for associations and nonprofits fee-for-service - providing the professional staff, administrative support, office space, technology, and equipment an association needs to operate efficiently. In 2012, Silas received the Flying Eagle Woman Award from Native Americans in Philanthropy. Silas was the Executive Director of the Native American Journalists Association (NAJA) from 2012 to 2015. During her tenure, she helped rebuild the organization’s reputation and increased membership.

From 2015 to 2017, Silas was the Executive Director of the National American Indian Housing Council. She coordinated strategic planning to ensure relevance to the membership’s needs and developed strategies for long-term resource development. In 2018, Silas was named Associate Director of Outreach and Engagement at Northwest University’s Center for Native American and Indigenous Research. In 2018, she also received the Lifetime Housing Advocate Award from the Metropolitan Tenants Organization in recognition of her contributions to the movement and her empowerment of others to use their voice.

In 2020, Governor Pritzker appointed Silas to serve on the first Statewide Native-focused council, Illinois, Native American Employment Plan Advisory Council.  She is an active member of the Chicago urban Native American community and serves in several national nonprofit leadership roles. 

According to Silas, most people in the United States think that Native Americans are gone. A lack of representation renders Native Americans seemingly invisible and relegated to stereotypes like the “vanishing race of yesteryear” or the romanticized idea of someone “tree-hugging” and “spiritual” (Nardi, 2021). Movies and mascots perpetuate these stereotypes. But Native American communities are working to counter common cultural misconceptions and spark curiosity about Native issues.

In 2021, Silas led a webinar for the McLean County Museum of History titled “Vibrant, Resilient, Still Here: Contemporary Native Americans in Illinois.” Silas noted that movements like Black Lives Matter have helped to draw awareness to the efforts of other minority communities to counter stereotypes and raise awareness. “(It) has been typical in history when a social justice issue lead by communities of color gets elevated, we get elevated along with them,” she said (Nardi, 2021). “As the public becomes more aware, there’s a genuine interest in learning more” (Nardi, 2021). The challenge, Silas said, is how to distribute information to the public on a broader scale.

Popular culture can be a tool for change. Silas notes that the television shows “Rutherford Falls” and “Res Dogs” offer a more realistic window into Native issues. “We’re adding to the body of America’s experience with native communities in a contemporary setting,” Silas said (Nardi, 2021). The shows explore the humor, politics, and challenges of people living in Native communities “just like everybody else living in America” (Nardi, 2021).

Silas is encouraged by the change she sees in schools, though she thinks those changes may be motivated more by individuals, especially parents, than by curriculum changes. A grandmother now, she remembers her children going to school when people celebrated “pilgrims and Indians” around Thanksgiving. Silas notes that integrating accurate information must go beyond a few paragraphs about Native history in a textbook to include modern culture and present Native Americans. Everyone benefits from contributions made by people of different backgrounds, Silas said. “Companies value different perspectives. That’s what makes innovation happen” (Nardi, 2021).

For more than 30 years, Silas has been a distinguished leader, focusing on matters of equity, leadership, community development, housing, and education in under-represented communities. Her successful leadership extends to regional and national nonprofit organizations, and she has actively contributed to various boards, councils, task forces, and advisories addressing these crucial issues. Beyond her professional endeavors, Silas finds joy in spending time with her grandchildren, volunteering, and maintaining an active lifestyle.