- Details
- By Tribal Business News Staff
- Economic Development
Here’s our monthly round-up of people on the move in Indian Country, including a bevy of board appointments, recognition of Native leaders, and new hires at tribal enterprises and Native-serving nonprofits.
HIRES
Tribal Ready, PBC has appointed Vanesscia Cresci (Navajo Nation) as Vice President of Grants & Compliance. Cresci joins Tribal Ready from the U.S. Department of Commerce, where she was a broadband program specialist overseeing the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program. She provided technical support to over 35 tribal grantees. Previously, Cresci was the director of research and public health at the California Rural Indian Health Board, Inc. She holds a Bachelor of Social Work from Arizona State University, a Master of Social Work from Washington University in St. Louis, and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Southern California.
Oweesta Corporation, a national Native CDFI intermediary based in Longmont, Colorado, has appointed Penny Wynn as Chief Programs Officer (CPO) and Shannon Ward as Chief Lending Officer (CLO). Wynn, a citizen of the Chickahominy Indian Tribe, previously served as tribal administrator for the Chickahominy Indian Tribe – Eastern Division and held leadership roles at Citizens & Farmers Bank. As CPO, she will design and implement programs to support Native communities' development needs. Ward, a member of the Northern Arapaho Tribe, joins from Native American Bank, where she was chief lending officer and senior vice president. With experience in the U.S. Department of Interior's Division of Capital Investment, she will oversee Oweesta's lending operations, providing capital access for Native CDFIs, Tribes, and Native non-profits.
Hui Huliau, a Native Hawaiian Organization, has appointed David McComas as Chief Operating Officer (COO). In his new role, McComas will oversee the implementation, execution, and performance of customer requirements across Hui Huliau’s family of companies. McComas previously served as Vice President of Operations for Hui Huliau’s Atlantic Division and as COO of AC4S before it became a part of Hui Huliau. His 27-year military career includes service as Command Sergeant Major for the Joint Communications Support Element at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, and the 112th Special Operations Signal Battalion at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. McComas has received numerous military decorations, including the Defense Superior Service Medal and Bronze Star Medal.
San Carlos Apache College has named Dr. Linda Sue Warner, a member of the Comanche Nation, as its new president. Dr. Warner brings over fifty years of experience working with Indigenous communities and currently serves as Special Assistant to the President on Tribal Affairs at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College. She has previously led Haskell Indian Nations University as its president. Dr. Warner is a respected scholar with over 250 publications focused on Indigenous pedagogy and cultural knowledge. She holds a Ph.D. in General Administration from the University of Oklahoma, a Master’s in Education from Pennsylvania State University, a B.A. in Language Arts Education from Northeastern State University, and an A.A. from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M Junior College.
Michigan State University has named Kevin Leonard as the permanent director of the Native American Institute (NAI), effective August 1, 2024. Leonard, a member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, has served as interim director since October 2022, where he played a key role in transitioning NAI from the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources to the Office of University Outreach and Engagement (UOE). He has conducted listening sessions with Michigan’s 12 federally recognized tribes, renewing relationships and aligning NAI’s efforts with tribal communities' needs. Leonard holds three degrees from MSU, including a doctorate in adult and lifelong education. He is also active in MSU’s Native American Faculty and Staff Association and the Native American Advisory Council for the Michigan Diversity Council.
APPOINTMENTS
The Oregon Task Force on Tribal Consultation elected Corinne Sams, a Board of Trustees Member at Large for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR), as its chair during the July 23 meeting at Seven Feathers Casino & Resort. Sams brings extensive experience in tribal governance to her new role. As a member of the CTUIR Board of Trustees, she has been actively involved in advocating for tribal sovereignty and meaningful consultation with state agencies. The CTUIR comprises the Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla Tribes, who formed under the Treaty of 1855. Sams’ leadership is expected to further the task force's mission to enhance government-to-government relationships and uphold tribal sovereignty.
The North American Bison Discovery Center in Jamestown, N.D., has appointed Arnell D. Abold, a member of the Oglala Lakota (Sioux) Tribe and the Chief Operations Officer of the Tanka Fund, to its board of directors. Abold, the first Native American to serve on the Center’s board, brings over two decades of experience in buffalo restoration efforts, working with more than 75 tribes and communities to return buffalo to tribal lands. Before joining Tanka Fund, she served as Executive Director and Fiscal Director of the InterTribal Buffalo Council (ITBC). Abold also has extensive experience in finance and management, having worked with the Oglala Sioux Tribe, Red Cloud Indian School, and American Horse Indian School. She holds two master’s degrees in Business Administration and Human Resource Management from National American University and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of South Dakota.
Gov. Tina Kotek recently appointed Monica Paradise to the Regional Solutions Greater Eastern Oregon Advisory Committee for a four-year term. Paradise, business development and tax project manager for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation's (CTUIR) Department of Economic & Community Development, will help advance regional community and economic development efforts. The committee, covering Gilliam, Grant, Harney, Malheur, Morrow, Umatilla, and Wheeler counties, meets up to four times annually. Paradise brings extensive experience in project management, business development, and serving as a liaison for CTUIR. Her role aims to enhance tribal representation in economic discussions and leverage regional resources to address CTUIR challenges and opportunities.
Cajun Fire Brewing Company announced that Jon Renthrope, CEO and Brewmaster of the first Black/Native American beer manufacturing company in the U.S. South, has been appointed to the Louisiana District Export Council (LDEC) by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. Renthrope also serves as a Board Commissioner for the New Orleans Regional Business Park and is a founding board member of the National Black Brewers Association. Additionally, he is the CEO of the New Orleans East Cultural Hub.
If you have news of new hires, appointments or special recognition, please share them with [email protected].
