Here is a round up of business news from around Indian Country.
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Health care
• Dr. Loretta Christensen, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, was selected as the new chief medical officer of the Indian Health Service. In the role, Christensen will function as the lead expert on medical and public health topics for IHS. She began at IHS as a general surgeon and has served as the chief medical officer for the Navajo Area Indian Health Service from 2017-2021. “Dr. Loretta Christensen has been a consistent voice and leader in the Navajo Area IHS for years, most recently serving as a leader in the area’s COVID-19 response by ensuring that patients received quality care, communicating safety measures to the public and staff, and establishing safety standards for the area,” IHS Acting Director Elizabeth Fowler said in a statement. “Dr. Christensen is deserving of this important role as the IHS CMO, and we look forward to having her experience and expertise as she leads our IHS health care professionals towards further advancing the IHS mission.”
Finance
• A trio of partners — Wells Fargo, Oweesta Corp., and Opportunity Finance Network — are accepting nominations for the Native CDFI Awards, which will recognize and provide grant funding to two organizations. The Native CDFI Catalyst Award will offer a $100,000 grant to a Native CDFI with a compelling strategy, while the Native CDFI Seed Capital Award will provide $25,000 to a Native CDFI to support a strategy “with great potential.” The applications can be for COVID-19 recovery, new products or innovations, geographic expansion, product scaling, product/program replication and back office infrastructure, according to the partners. Applications are due by Aug. 13. More information is available at this link.
Sovereignty
• Department of the Interior Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Bryan Newland on Friday highlighted the nine-year anniversary of President Obama signing the Helping Expedite and Advance Responsible Tribal Homeownership (HEARTH) Act of 2012. Under the HEARTH Act, tribes can negotiate and enter into commercial leases on trust lands without BIA approval, speeding the pace at which they can do business. The law also affects long-term leases for agricultural, renewable energy, residential and other purposes. “The HEARTH Act was passed with bipartisan support to provide federally recognized Tribes a way to exercise greater control over their lands and to use judgement [sic], through their own regulations and governmental processes, to benefit their people,” Newland said in a statement. “By its support for Tribal sovereignty and self-determination, the HEARTH Act continues to make a positive difference for the dozens of Tribes with approved land-leasing regulations.” To date, 62 tribes have had their leasing regulations approved under the HEARTH Act, and an additional 24 tribes are awaiting approval, according to a statement.
Entrepreneurship
• The Sault Tribe Business Alliance, a new tribally chartered nonprofit, will host an annual business conference on Friday, Aug. 6 at the Kewadin Conference Center in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. The conference includes sessions on small business resources from the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians’ Sault Tribe Thrive, the state of Michigan, and others aimed at helping entrepreneurs launch, grow and scale their companies. More information is available at this link.
Real estate
• The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe has reacquired 41.5 acres of land for $166,000, according to a statement from the Tribal Council. The parcel is adjacent to the tribe’s transfer station that’s located on trust land along State Route 37 in Akwesasne, N.Y. The Tribal Council said the property acquisition fits the tribe’s strategy to expand its land base and reacquire lands within the reservation boundaries established in the 1796 Treaty with the U.S. government. “In the absence of a land claim settlement agreement, the Tribe may apply to have the land taken into federal trust for exercising tribal jurisdiction and authority in a manner that preserves and promotes the long-term interest of the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe,” according to the statement. Tribal Council indicated the tribe could use the lands for a business park or for single-family homes.
Gaming
• Dominic Ortiz, an enrolled member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation of Kansas, was named CEO and general manager of Milwaukee, Wis.-based Potawatomi Hotel & Casino, the gaming venture of the Forest County Potawatomi. The hire came after a nationwide search. Previously, Ortiz served as CFO of Soaring Eagle Gaming Properties and Corporate Services in Mount Pleasant, Mich., a venture of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan. He is a graduate of the University of Kansas School of Business and the Harvard Business School’s General Manager/Executive Education program and has 17 years of experience in the gaming industry. “We’re confident his years of experience in tribal gaming will prove valuable in charting the course during a pivotal time at our Milwaukee property,” Forest County Potawatomi Chairman Ned Daniels Jr. said in a statement.
Higher education
• The Minnetonka, Minn.-based United Health Foundation has provided a $430,000 grant to the American Indian College Fund to offer scholarships to American Indian and Alaska Natives studying health care or dental care. The aim for the United Health Foundation Tribal Scholars Program “is to increase the number of employable American Indian and Alaska Native healthcare graduates to work as primary care physicians, nurses, physician assistants, mental and behavioral health specialists, dentists, and pharmacists,” according to a statement. The scholarships will be awarded for the 2021-2022 school year and will be renewable throughout the recipients’ academic careers. “We are honored to continue our partnership with the American Indian College Fund and support its work to create a more diverse health workforce by increasing the number of providers ready to deliver personalized, culturally competent care,” United Health Foundation President Tracy Malone said in a statement.
Hospitality
• Seminole Gaming has named Andrew Saunders as its vice president of entertainment. In the role, Saunders will have responsibility for live entertainment programming at Seminole Gaming venues throughout Florida, which includes venues in Hollywood, Tampa, Immokalee, Coconut Creek and Brighton. Saunders has 10 years of experience in booking entertainment events, recently serving in booking positions for AEG at Staples Center. Keith Sheldon, president of Entertainment for Hard Rock International and Seminole Gaming, praised Saunders’ “wealth of entertainment experience.”
