- Details
- By Tribal Business News Staff
- Economic Development
Indian Country saw significant leadership movement in February, with appointments spanning tribal government, legal practice, cultural institutions and economic development.
Organizations including the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation, City of Portland, Akin, Cayuse Native Solutions and Peabody Essex Museum announced key hires and promotions. Board appointments included new directors at the California Indian Basketweavers Association, Buffalo Nations Grasslands Alliance and Louisiana Travel Association. Additionally, Maria Givens launched Maria Givens Consulting, a Native-owned communications firm serving Indian Country.
HIRES + PROMOTIONS
Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation appointed Ruxandra Arustei Galloway as vice president of hospitality asset management. Galloway will oversee portfolio strategy, hospitality investments and asset management. She previously served as director of direct investments at the tribe for more than five years. Before joining San Manuel, she was director of investment analysis and corporate FP&A at MGM Resorts International and director of investment analysis and business development at Crescent Hotels & Resorts. She holds an MBA in finance from George Mason University and a bachelor's degree in economics from The Academy of Economic Studies in Bucharest, Romania.
The City of Portland, Ore. hired Gerald D. Skelton Jr. as tribal government relations manager. Skelton, a citizen of the Klamath Tribes, will focus on government-to-government relationships with Oregon's nine sovereign Native nations and others across the region. He previously served as director of the Klamath Tribes Culture and Heritage Department for more than 15 years, focusing on archaeological museum work and negotiating repatriation of ancestral remains. He also has experience in energy development and worked on the dam removal process on the Klamath River. The position had been vacant for nearly 16 months, according to Underscore Native News.
Akin named Jason Hauter and Katie Brossy as co-heads of its American Indian law and policy practice. Hauter, a member of the Gila River Indian Community, previously served for eight years as in-house counsel for the community, working on economic development, construction, labor and employment preference, hospitality and entertainment, taxation and internal policy. Brossy, a citizen of the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska and Santee Sioux, has more than two decades of tribal law experience and has advised on one of the largest Indian water rights settlements in U.S. history. They succeed Don Pongrace, who will continue as a senior consultant.
Landye Bennett Blumstein LLP hired Alex Cleghorn as partner. Cleghorn returns to private practice after more than 20 years building and leading legal practices serving Alaska Native communities across nonprofit, governmental and corporate contexts. He will assist Alaska tribes, tribal organizations and Alaska Native corporations in board governance, shareholder matters, corporate compliance and strategic legal matters. He also advises on business transactions, entity formation, economic development and commercial contracts. Cleghorn is a tribal citizen of Tangirnaq Native Village and a shareholder of Natives of Kodiak, Koniag Inc. and Cook Inlet Region Inc.
Cayuse Native Solutions hired Keyaanna Pausch as digital solutions specialist. Pausch, who is Navajo, will provide software development and design solutions for web and app development. She previously worked as a software developer and technical consultant at Infosol Inc. for two years. She holds a bachelor's degree in digital culture from Arizona State University and a front-end software developer certification from Turing School of Software & Design. She also served as a fellow with Emergence Circle, a community exploring solutions for Native communities through Seven Generations Thinking in the Age of AI, and volunteers with Coding in Color, teaching underrepresented high school students how to code.
Peabody Essex Museum appointed Sage Innerarity as director of its Native American Fellowship program. Innerarity, a citizen of the Ione Band of Miwok Indians, previously participated in the fellowship's 2024 summer cohort. She holds a master's degree in library and information science from Simmons University with concentrations in cultural heritage informatics and archives management, and a bachelor's degree from Amherst College with a focus on Native American studies. Her work is grounded in community-centered practice, Indigenous studies and archives.
Little Creek Casino Resort appointed Jef Bauer as CEO. Bauer, who began his role Feb. 9, will lead the resort's strategic direction, operations and growth in alignment with the Squaxin Island Tribe's long-term vision. He brings more than 30 years of executive leadership experience in gaming, hospitality, entertainment and resort operations, including extensive work in tribal gaming enterprises. He most recently served as assistant general manager at Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada, and previously as CEO of Augustine Casino in Coachella, California. He also held senior executive leadership roles at MontBleu Resort Casino & Spa, Golden Casino Group and Reserve Casino Hotel.
FEATURED HIRE
Alaska Native Heritage Center hires Suella Wendell as collections intern
The Alaska Native Heritage Center hired Suella Wendell as a collections department intern. Wendell, who is Yup'ik with familial ties to Bethel, Alaska, will learn about collections stewardship and interpretation while helping provide access to cultural belongings. She previously worked at the center as a cultural tourism ambassador. She attends the University of Alaska Southeast, pursuing an interdisciplinary studies degree in Alaska Native studies and languages, anthropology and Spanish. Her internship is funded through a grant from the Ralph T. Coe Center Rehoming Grant. Wendell grew up on Dena'ina land in Chugiak, Alaska. (Photo: Suella Wendell by Gregory Lincoln)
BOARD APPOINTMENTS
California Indian Basketweavers Association appointed Hannah Lent to its board of directors for a two-year term. Lent is a program assistant in the culture department for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians and a member of the Santa Ynez Chumash community. In her role, she will help preserve, promote and perpetuate California Indian basketry traditions. The association raises awareness of cultural, artistic and environmental concerns of Native American basketweavers, works to increase California Indian access to traditional materials on public and tribal lands, and supports efforts to reintroduce cultural resources and designate gathering areas.
Buffalo Nations Grasslands Alliance appointed Gerald "Buzz" Cobell to its board of directors. Cobell, an enrolled member of the Blackfeet Nation, served as director of the Blackfeet Fish and Wildlife Department from 2019 to 2025. He previously worked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs and retired from the Bonneville Power Administration in 2014 after a 30-year federal career. Cobell holds a bachelor's degree in recreation area management from Montana State University and a master's degree in fish and wildlife management from Utah State University. He is a U.S. Army veteran and provided leadership in forming the Native American Fish and Wildlife Society, serving as its first president.
The Louisiana Travel Association reelected Joan Botts to its board of directors. Botts is vice president of marketing for Paragon Casino Resort, which is owned by the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana. Botts brings decades of experience in the casino and resort industry, having previously led marketing teams in Durant, Oklahoma; Hot Springs, Arkansas; and Shreveport and Bossier City, Louisiana. She also participated in the 2025 Leadership CENLA program and served on the Marksville Chamber of Commerce board.
STARTUPS & NATIVE-OWNED
Maria Givens Consulting was launched by Maria Givens, a member of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe. The Native-owned firm specializes in culturally grounded communications, community-centered storytelling and strategic facilitation for tribes, Native nonprofits and organizations working in Indian Country. Givens previously worked at the U.S. Senate, National Congress of American Indians and most recently at Tahoma Peak Solutions. She is the daughter of Ray Givens, who served as the Coeur d'Alene Tribe's lead litigator for two decades, and Jeanne Givens, the first Native woman elected to the Idaho House of Representatives. The firm is based on the Coeur d'Alene Reservation.
Hawk Eye Strategies LLC was launched by Andrea Delgado and Onna LeBeau. The Latina and Native-woman-led firm provides strategic advisory services for public, tribal, private and nonprofit leaders. Delgado most recently served as deputy regional forester for the U.S. Forest Service Rocky Mountain Region and previously as chief of staff for natural resources and environment at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. LeBeau, who is UmoNhoN, most recently served as chief impact officer and managing director of the Indigenous Power & Light Fund for Energy Sovereignty at the Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy. She previously served as director of the Office of Indian Economic Development at the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Strategies 360 was purchased by John Oceguera, who now serves as owner and CEO. The deal was finalized Jan. 15 and places the firm under the umbrella of Rise West Partners LLC, Oceguera's independent business. Oceguera previously served as chief strategy officer and leader of the firm's Nevada office. He is a member of the Walker River Paiute Tribe and was the first Native American to serve as speaker of the Nevada Assembly. He served 12 years in the Nevada Assembly and previously worked as a firefighter. The firm retains a 40-member staff operating across offices in Alaska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington.
Muscogee (Creek) Nation established Native Advantage Inc., a wholly owned tribal corporation that will establish and administer a Medicare Advantage Plan. The National Council approved the legislation 15-0, sponsored by Rep. Tiger. The corporation will comply with all federal, state and tribal regulatory requirements and will be governed by a board composed of elected officials who are all eligible Muscogee (Creek) Nation tribal citizens. The Principal Chief was authorized to execute and file articles of incorporation with the office of the Secretary of the Nation.
If you have news of new hires, appointments or special recognition, please share them with [email protected].
