- Details
- By Tribal Business News Staff
- Economic Development
This latest People on the Move highlights leadership changes across Native banking, federal contracting, education, philanthropy, law, the arts and community development.
The roundup includes new executives at Native American Bank, Cherokee Federal and Doyon Foundation, along with appointments and promotions supporting Native education, child welfare, public infrastructure, cultural institutions and economic development. Featured recognition goes to Haida fashion designer Dorothy Grant, who will receive an impact entrepreneur citation from Ernst & Young.
HIRES + PROMOTIONS
The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis promoted Vanessa Palmer to division data principal for Community Development and Engagement. In the senior role, Palmer will lead the division’s data practices, oversee its data products and support technical needs, including research by the Center for Indian Country Development. Palmer joined the bank as a data scientist in 2020 and most recently served as data director and acting community development research director. Her earlier work included helping private and nonprofit organizations build data systems and products. Palmer holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington and a master’s degree from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Friends of the Children-He Sapa appointed Tyresha Grey Horse as executive director following a national search. Grey Horse, a citizen of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and lifelong Rapid City resident, joined the Indigenous-led youth mentoring organization as program director in 2025. She previously worked as a middle school teacher and family engagement learning specialist at Black Hills Special Services. Grey Horse serves as secretary of the Rapid City Area Schools Office of Indian Education’s Parent Advisory Committee. She is a 2026 graduate of the Elevate Leadership Institute and a member of the Billie Sutton Leadership Institute’s 2026 class.
Nebraska Indian Child Welfare Coalition promoted Samantha Magpie to communications manager after six years with the organization, first as an intern and later as a part-time administrative assistant. Magpie, a citizen of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, also serves as the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services’ Indian Child Welfare Act program manager and statewide tribal liaison. She earned a master’s degree in social work from the University of Iowa in 2021 and a master’s degree in Indigenous law from the University of Oklahoma in 2026. Magpie lives on the Meskwaki Settlement in Tama, Iowa.
Native American Bank hired Kayla Johnson as chief banking officer. Johnson joined the Denver-based bank after more than a decade at FirstBank in Lakewood, Colorado, where she most recently served as senior vice president and oversaw $15.3 billion in portfolio exposure across Colorado and Arizona. Her experience includes commercial and construction lending, compliance, digital innovation and specialized lending programs for underserved communities. Johnson also has served as a financial literacy instructor with Junior Achievement and taught first-time homebuyer classes for more than a decade. She has volunteered with Habitat for Humanity and Growing Gardens.
The M (Minnesota Museum of American Art) hired Alice Crazy Bull as assistant curator. Crazy Bull, Sicangu Lakota Oyate, is from Rosebud, South Dakota, and has family and cultural ties to the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Indian Reservation in Nevada. They recently earned bachelor’s degrees in museum studies and studio arts, with a minor in Native American art history, from the Institute of American Indian Arts. Crazy Bull previously worked at Duende Gallery and the Balzer Contemporary Edge Gallery and held fellowships with Racing Magpie and the Peabody Essex Museum. They also create contemporary beadwork using traditional materials, techniques and symbolism.
Cherokee Federal named Tom Watson president, effective Oct. 1. Watson will lead the federal contracting division’s portfolio of tribally owned companies, which generates more than $1 billion in annual revenue and employs more than 5,000 people. He brings more than 30 years of federal contracting and defense industry experience. Watson most recently served as CEO of Serco’s $2 billion North American business and previously spent 22 years at Science Applications International Corp., including as senior vice president and general manager of its Navy and Marine Corps business unit. He began his career as a U.S. Navy electronics technician.
Cherokee Federal named Terri Malone chief growth officer, effective Oct. 12. Malone will lead the federal contracting division’s market intelligence, business development, capture, proposal and strategic expansion efforts. She brings more than 25 years of federal contracting experience and most recently served as senior vice president and chief growth officer for Serco North America. Malone previously spent 20 years at Northrop Grumman, where her roles included operating responsibility for a $700 million business and business development leadership across a $4 billion portfolio. She holds an MBA from George Mason University and a bachelor’s degree from Southern Methodist University.
Doyon Foundation named Geraldine “Geri” Simon executive director, effective Sept. 14. Simon, a Doyon shareholder from Allakaket, most recently led business development and strategic initiatives at Tanana Chiefs Conference and previously served as senior vice president of administration at Doyon Limited. She holds a law degree from Seattle University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington. Simon serves as board president of K’oyitl’ots’ina Limited and on the Fairbanks Economic Development Corp. board. She stepped down as a Doyon Limited director and board secretary to lead the foundation’s scholarship, workforce development and Alaska Native language revitalization programs.
Chenega Corp. promoted Anna Cometa to deputy general counsel. Cometa joined the Alaska Native corporation in 2025 and advises its leadership on employment law, government contracting, litigation, corporate governance, compliance, investigations and risk management. Before joining Chenega, she spent more than a decade as a trial attorney in Alaska handling civil and criminal matters and served as a judicial officer in Palmer, overseeing civil, criminal, family law, probate and protective-order proceedings. Cometa also serves on the Alaska Violent Crimes Compensation Board and the Alaska Bar Association Fee Arbitration Committee.
Columbia Bank hired Tyler Merker as a commercial underwriter for its Native American banking and gaming group. Merker most recently served as an assistant vice president and portfolio manager for asset-based lending at Western Alliance Bank. His previous roles include structured finance credit analyst at City National Bank and commercial and industrial credit analyst at Western Alliance. Merker holds a bachelor’s degree in finance and economics from the University of Nevada, Reno. Before entering banking, he worked as an emergency medical technician in Nevada and Illinois.
Kaplan Kirsch LLP hired Evan Kudler as an attorney working on public infrastructure, environmental stewardship and matters involving Native American tribes. Kudler joined the firm after two years as an associate at Hogan Lovells and an earlier role at Baker Botts. Before entering private practice, he worked at Pacific Gas and Electric Co., including as a regulatory analyst supporting community renewable energy programs. Kudler holds a law degree from the University of Texas, a master’s degree in global environment and climate change law from the University of Edinburgh and a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
FEATURED RECOGNITION
[Photo: Dorothy Grant, courtesy photo]
Dorothy Grant to receive EY impact entrepreneur citation
Ernst & Young will honor Haida fashion designer Dorothy Grant with its Ripples Impact Entrepreneur Special Citation at the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2026 Pacific Awards on Oct. 23 in Vancouver. Grant has spent more than four decades incorporating Haida art and storytelling into contemporary fashion, with her work appearing on international runways and in museums and cultural institutions. Through Dorothy Grant Studio, she also has mentored emerging Indigenous designers and entrepreneurs while promoting cultural preservation, innovation and greater recognition of Indigenous art and identity.
HONORS + RECOGNITION
Oklahoma State University honored Vincent Logan with its 2026 Distinguished Alumni Award for his career in government, law, finance, philanthropy and Indian Country. Logan, a citizen of the Osage Nation and a 1979 OSU graduate, serves on the Sovereign Equity Fund board of directors. He previously held two presidential appointments, serving as special trustee for American Indians and as chairman and CEO of the Farm Credit Administration. Logan also was the inaugural chief investment officer and chief financial officer of the Native American Agriculture Fund, where he helped develop investment and philanthropic programs supporting Native farmers, ranchers and tribal communities.
The National Indian Education Association honored Lori V. Quigley, Deborah Bordeaux and Christopher G. Bordeaux with its 2026 Lifetime Achievement Awards for their contributions to Native education. Quigley, Seneca Nation, Wolf Clan, has spent 40 years in teaching and university leadership and secured more than $4 million for Native education and language initiatives. Deborah Bordeaux, Oglala Lakota, has worked 45 years in tribally controlled schools and leads the Commission for Oceti Sakowin Accreditation. Christopher Bordeaux, Rosebud Sioux Tribe, Sicangu Oyate, has worked in gifted education, tribal policy and Lakota and Dakota language assessment.
If you have news of new hires, appointments or special recognition, please share them with [email protected].
