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- By Brian Edwards
- Indigenous Entrepreneurs
Andrea Delgado and Onna LeBeau met through a mutual friend who thought they should know each other. The connection stuck — first over a planned camping trip in Colorado that got too cold, then on hikes in Rocky Mountain National Park where Delgado’s swift pace left LeBeau asking herself, “What have I done?”
Now the two women are business partners, launching Hawk Eye Strategies LLC to help tribal nations, government agencies and conservation organizations navigate federal policy, land management and tribal engagement.
Delgado, based in Longmont, Colo., and LeBeau, working from Sioux Falls, S.D., formally organized the Colorado-registered firm in early 2026. Together, they bring nearly 40 years of experience advising leaders across the White House, federal agencies, tribal governments and national nonprofits.
Both left senior roles in recent months. Delgado most recently served as deputy regional forester for the U.S. Forest Service’s Rocky Mountain Region, following earlier work as chief of staff for Natural Resources and Environment at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. LeBeau served as chief impact officer at the Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy and previously led the Office of Indian Economic Development at the U.S. Department of the Interior.
“After nearly 20 years serving as a chief of staff and a senior adviser to Cabinet and sub-Cabinet officials, federal agencies, nonprofits and labor unions, I saw a recurring gap,” Delgado said. “The most meaningful and innovative policies can fail not for lack of will, but for lack of a bridge between the briefing room and the front line.”
LeBeau, an enrolled member of the Omaha Tribe of Nebraska, brings deep experience in community finance and economic development. As executive director of the Black Hills Community Loan Fund, a Native CDFI, she expanded the organization’s mission beyond homeownership, increased capitalization and built credit-building and business development programs serving Native communities in western South Dakota.
“It’s not a one-size-fits-all from community to community,” LeBeau said. “That’s why Native CDFIs are so valuable, and why there still isn’t enough access to capital across Indian Country.”
Elevating Nation-to-Nation Engagement
The partners said their firm is designed to address a persistent breakdown in federal–tribal relations: agencies treating tribal governments as stakeholders rather than sovereign nations.
“I lost track of how many times I had to correct memos and remind people that when you’re dealing with Indian Country, you’re not dealing with a stakeholder,” Delgado said. “That requires a different level of engagement — at the highest levels of leadership.”
Delgado, who is Ecuadorian-Colombian and a naturalized U.S. citizen, said effective tribal engagement requires more than surface-level cultural awareness. Federal officials, she said, carry the legacy of broken treaties and trust obligations when they enter tribal consultations.
“You have to acknowledge it, and you have to respect it,” she said. “If you’re not willing to sit in that discomfort and continue to show up, you’re never going to build trust.”
LeBeau saw similar disconnects during her early career at the Bureau of Indian Affairs, where policy decisions made in Washington often failed to reflect realities in tribal communities.
“There was a disconnect between what was occurring at the national level, at a central office in D.C., versus what’s actually happening on the ground with community members,” LeBeau said.
“Decisions were being made … where the real voices weren’t being heard.”
Services Focused on Execution
Hawk Eye Strategies is focused on advising Tribal Nations and public agencies on policy implementation, land stewardship and navigating high-stakes transitions where federal requirements, consultation and on-the-ground realities collide, the partners say.
The firm is taking on a limited number of clients, prioritizing values alignment over volume. Target clients include tribal nations, Native-led organizations, local and state governments, federal agencies, conservation groups and philanthropic organizations.
“We’re vetting clients just as much as they’re vetting us,” Delgado said. “We’re not hired guns. We’ve been trusted because we’re candid and willing to say things whether they make people comfortable or not.”
Both partners see continued opportunities for tribes despite political uncertainty in Washington, particularly around tribal co-stewardship of public lands. Delgado said the legal authorities supporting co-stewardship agreements remain in place.
“Tribal co-stewardship is a concept, but it’s backed by multiple legal authorities that can continue to operate under any administration,” she said, pointing to agreements involving the Black Hills National Forest and other federal lands.
LeBeau highlighted ongoing economic development tools within Indian Affairs, including the Indian Loan Guarantee Program, which she said received more than $400 million in lending authority — its highest level to date.
“The programs are still there,” LeBeau said. “It takes people who understand the system to say, ‘It’s still available, and here’s how you navigate it.’”
Values and Motivation
For LeBeau, launching the firm also provides flexibility to care for her elderly mother, a boarding school survivor who worked for four decades at the Bureau of Indian Affairs as an EEO and ethics officer.
Her work in Native finance, she said, reinforced how historical trauma continues to shape financial decision-making and institutional trust in Tribal communities.
Delgado said the firm allows her to continue public-interest work while maintaining independence, including time for pro bono efforts and wildfire response. She maintains active fire qualifications as a liaison officer supporting incident management teams.
The partners emphasized that their work is not partisan, but values-driven.
“There are values that cross party lines,” Delgado said. “We’re open to working with people across the spectrum, as long as what they’re trying to accomplish aligns with responsible stewardship, respect for sovereignty and delivering results where it matters.”
