- Details
- By Tribal Business News Staff
- Economic Development
The new year is bringing a wave of job changes and board appointments across Indian Country. Native leaders are stepping into executive roles and governance positions in finance, energy, education, tourism and tribal enterprises as 2025 gets underway.
Here’s the latest Tribal Business News round-up of people on the move in Indian Country.
HIRES, PROMOTIONS
Native Women Lead appointed Shadiin Garcia, Ph.D., (Laguna Pueblo and Chicana) as executive director. Garcia brings experience in education, policy and social justice advocacy, having served as deputy director of policy and research for former Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber and led initiatives like Oregon's Senate Bill 13: Tribal History/Shared History. She began her career teaching at Heart of the Earth Survival School in Minneapolis, founded by the American Indian Movement. Garcia holds a Ph.D. and was the first among her 62 first cousins to earn a doctorate degree. She studied at Yale University after attending Choate Rosemary Hall.
Old Harbor Native Corporation promoted Kristina Woolston to chief executive officer. An Alaska Native shareholder of Bristol Bay Native Corporation and Paug-Vik, Ltd., Woolston joined Old Harbor as executive vice president in July 2024. She previously led external affairs at Donlin Gold, served as vice president of external affairs at Quintillion, and spent over a decade as vice president of government relations at Chenega Corporation. A Naknek Native Village Council member raised in Naknek, Woolston holds a government degree from Dartmouth College.
Colorado School of Mines' Payne Institute for Public Policy appointed Richard Luarkie, Ph.D., (Pueblo of Laguna) as director of the Native American Mining and Energy Sovereignty Initiative. Luarkie previously served two terms as governor of the Pueblo of Laguna and has over 20 years of experience in tribal economic development. He holds a doctorate from Arizona State University, an MBA from New Mexico State University, and has served on the Board of Trustees for the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian.
Emic Health appointed Andrew "Dru" Alejandre (Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians) as tribal liaison. Alejandre served two terms as chairman of the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians from 2016-2024, following his grandfather Everett Freeman's legacy. He previously served as tribal secretary and co-founded the Tribal Leadership Council, where he serves as vice chairman. His experience includes advocacy work with MMIP, Native American Graduation Adornments Task Force and Central Tribal Chairperson's Association.
Citizen Potawatomi Community Development Corporation hired Bobby "Trae" Trousdale as grants and finance coordinator. Trousdale previously served as education resource facilitator at Native Americans in Philanthropy and held executive business coordinator roles at Express Employment International. He holds a master's in public administration with a focus on nonprofit management from the University of Oklahoma and dual bachelor's degrees in political science and mass communications from Oklahoma City University. Trousdale completed leadership programs including LeaderShape Institute and Leadership Native Oklahoma.
Denali Advisors, the largest Native American-owned asset management firm in the U.S., hired Garry McBerryhill (Muscogee Creek) as director of business development. Previously U.S. market lead at Raven Indigenous Capital Partners, McBerryhill also held roles with Muscogee Nation's Onefire Holding Company and BOKF, Inc. The firm is led by Alaskan Aleut Robert Snigaroff, Ph.D., with offices in Anchorage, San Diego and Chicago.
Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP hired Marthy Hernandez as associate attorney for its Native American Affairs team. Hernandez previously served as an associate attorney at Stokes Lawrence P.S. in Yakima, Washington, and completed legal internships with the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project and Gonzaga University's Indian Law Clinic. She holds a JD from Gonzaga University School of Law and dual bachelor's degrees in political science and Spanish from the University of Washington. Hernandez is a Gates Millennium Scholar and Costco Diversity Scholar.
The National Park Service appointed Margaret A. Carson as Native American Affairs program analyst. Carson (Ohkay Owingeh) previously served as an Ocean Policy Fellow at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. She brings over 10 years of research experience in environmental and public health science, including work at the University of South Carolina's Arnold School of Public Health studying harmful algal blooms. Carson holds a bachelor's in psychology from Presbyterian College, a master's in public health from the University of South Carolina, and is completing her doctorate in environmental health sciences. She is an Arnold Fellow, Native Forward Scholar, and John A. Knauss Ocean Policy Fellow.
ICE (Innovative Contracting & Engineering) hired Lexy Powers as program manager for tribal construction projects. Powers brings more than seven years of project management experience, including roles as senior project manager at Sisu Energy and Environmental, project manager at L3Harris Technologies, and project controls analyst at ISTI Plant Services. Based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, she holds a construction management degree from Oklahoma State University and certifications in OSHA 30, Advanced EVM Techniques, and Microsoft Project. Powers specializes in earned value engineering, project forecasting and cost control.
Native American Industrial Solutions LLC, a 100% American Indian owned 8(a) firm, hired Troy Brezsko as project management consultant and scrum master. Based in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Brezsko brings over 20 years of project management experience, including nearly four years as senior project/program manager at Griffin Industries. He previously served as project manager and engineer at Carfair Composites USA and spent 10 years as a design engineer at Samuel Pressure Vessel Group. Brezsko holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from Western Governors University, certifications in mechanical design and project management from Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, and professional certifications including PMP, Agile Certified Practitioner, and Lean Six Sigma Black Belt.
Chinook Winds Casino Resort appointed Samantha McDonald as general manager. She brings over 30 years of gaming experience, including executive roles at Golden Acorn Casino and Seven Feathers Casino. Originally from Ireland, McDonald began her casino career in Edinburgh in 1994 before moving to the U.S. in 1996. She holds a doctorate in business administration and previously owned West Coast Gaming Academy. The casino is owned by the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians.
Raven Indigenous Capital Partners hired Traven Joseph (Aaniiih and Koyukon Athabascan) as investment analyst. Joseph previously served as an analyst at Island Mountain Development Group, where he managed financial forecasting and investment sourcing. He also worked as a Hatfield Fellow in the U.S. House of Representatives and held positions at Moda Health and the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board. Joseph holds an MBA in finance from the University of Oregon's Lundquist College of Business and is a Toigo Fellow.
BOARD APPOINTMENTS
Great North Innocence Project appointed Lacey Kinnart (Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians) to its board of directors. Kinnart serves as oral history project operations manager at the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition. She previously spent 12 years advocating for wrongfully convicted individuals and helped secure the exoneration of Danny Wilber, who was wrongfully imprisoned for 18 years. GNIP works to free the wrongly convicted and prevent wrongful convictions in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota.
Heritage Distilling Holding Company appointed Eric S. Trevan, Ph.D., (Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi) to its board of directors. Trevan, co-founder of aLocal Solutions, will chair the compensation committee and serve on audit and technology committees. He previously served as president and CEO of the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development and policy advisor to the U.S. Treasury's Tribal Advisory Committee. Trevan holds a doctorate from Arizona State University and has managed over $750 million in tribal investments through board positions with Gun Lake Investments, Twelve Clans Sovereign Wealth Fund and others.
Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City appointed Joel Smith (Caddo) and Rollin M. Wood (Cherokee) to its Community Development Advisory Council. Smith serves as president of community development and chief credit officer at Native American Bank, a tribal-owned CDFI in Denver. Wood is CEO of Native Partnership for Housing in Gallup, New Mexico, a Native CDFI that has facilitated over $80 million in home mortgage loans. Council members serve three-year terms advising the Bank on community and economic development issues.
American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association appointed Michelle Liberty (Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation) and Hanford McCloud (Nisqually Indian Tribe) to its board of directors, while Travis Owens (Cherokee Nation) and Charlene Virgilio (Penobscot Tribe) were reelected. Liberty brings over 20 years of tourism marketing experience, including work with Wildhorse Resort & Casino and Travel Oregon. McCloud has served on the Nisqually Tribal Council and contributed to Washington State's Thurston County Tourism programs. AIANTA is a nonprofit dedicated to advancing cultural heritage tourism across Native Nations.
National Charter Collaborative appointed Anpao Duta Flying Earth to its board of directors. Flying Earth serves as executive director of NACA Inspired Schools Network and Native American Community Academy in Albuquerque. He leads efforts to develop decolonized, community-driven education systems focused on Indigenous identity and wellness. Flying Earth holds an MBA from the University of New Mexico and a bachelor's from Cornell University. The Academy works to support charter school leaders of color.
Native American Aviation Association added four new board members. Tressa Mattingly (Chickasaw Nation), senior social media manager at National Business Aviation Association, and Maddie DuBrey (Rosebud Sioux), managing director of Pacific Northwest Business Aviation Association, join the board alongside Jeremy DeBons (Osage), former U.S. Navy Test Pilot School commanding officer, and Joseph Hill (Oglala Sioux), a U.S. Army Special Forces veteran and instrument-rated pilot with extensive tribal agriculture and natural resource education experience. The nonprofit organization focuses on delivering aviation education and career pathways to tribal communities.
If you have news of new hires, appointments or special recognition, please share them with [email protected].
