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- By Chez Oxendine
- Opinion | Op-Ed
M’ko “Ko” Daniels has been appointed the first participant in Potawatomi Ventures’ new federal contracting leadership development program, a move that places a Forest County Potawatomi tribal member inside the company’s top federal operations for the first time.
Daniels said the opportunity is both exciting and daunting, offering a rare chance to learn the full scope of federal contracting from the inside out.
“I’m going to be trained on how we get contracts from start to finish, along with the bigger picture of choosing which areas we contract with — construction, defense, all of it,” Daniels said. “We’re getting a grasp of the landscape and how the work is being performed.”
The program appoints Daniels as the Potawatomi Business Development Corporation Federal Group’s general manager, placing him under Greg Kolean, vice president and chief operating officer. Kolean oversees operations and strategy for a portfolio of more than 40 subsidiaries and joint ventures.
CEO Kip Ritchie said the initiative is designed to transfer institutional knowledge as the company prepares for a shifting regulatory environment.
“This is the first time we’ve done anything like this,” Ritchie said. “We’ve been involved in federal contracting for over a decade, and Greg has done a phenomenal job building a foundation for long‑term success.”
Kolean said via email that program provides hands-on exposure to strategy, operations and advocacy while building leadership capacity from within.
Ritchie said the company has grown through competitive bids, teaming agreements and a steady expansion of capabilities. But sustaining that growth requires preparing tribal members to understand the nuance, strategy and long‑term planning that define the federal marketplace.
“One of the ways we’ve talked about strengthening our future is developing a program for our next generation of tribal member leaders,” he said. “We want them learning under a leader like Greg, who can transfer the nuance, the strategy and the sophistication you need to be successful in this space.”
Daniels, who grew up on the Forest County Potawatomi reservation, said the program is intentionally immersive.
“We can figure out, is it best to do it this way or that way?” he said. “It helps to give my feedback to the organization on what I think works best and how I bring members in the future.”
His training also includes time in Washington, D.C., where Potawatomi Ventures has increased its presence as federal programs — especially the SBA 8(a) program — face heightened scrutiny.
That pressure has mounted on multiple fronts in recent months. The Small Business Administration ordered all 8(a) participants to submit three years of financial records as part of a program-wide audit, later suspending more than 1,000 firms for missing documentation deadlines. The Department of Defense has launched a line-by-line review of high-dollar sole-source 8(a) contracts, while Treasury announced its own contract review of preference-based awards. On Capitol Hill, Senate hearings and formal letters to federal agencies have questioned Native enterprises’ participation in the program.
Several tribes also faced backlash from their citizens after subsidiaries secured Immigration and Customs Enforcement-related contracts, prompting leadership changes, contract terminations and closer review of their federal contracting operations.
Navigating political and regulatory headwinds
“We’ve been proactive about having a presence on the Hill,” Ritchie said. “Whether you participate in 8(a), minority business development enterprises or even gaming, these things are volatile. They can be fundamentally changed and have a positive or negative impact on our business.”
Ritchie said the company has spent the past several years educating lawmakers about the role of tribal enterprises in the federal marketplace. Daniels will join that work, learning how political shifts affect contracting opportunities and tribal economic development.
“It intertwines with American politics — it’s navigating between these administrations,” Daniels said. “I like the idea of being put into a position I know very little about. It amplifies my need to learn through the process.”
The new development track builds on an existing internship and early-career pipeline developed with the tribe’s education department.
“We’ve found that we have a number of tribal members working in our organization,” Ritchie said. “We have a feeder program. This takes it a step further.”
Daniels said one of the long‑term challenges will be sparking interest among tribal members in a field where they rarely see themselves represented.
“You lose a lot of interest quickly because this is a field we don’t see a lot of representation in from our own people,” he said. “For this one, that’s going to be a big challenge — how to put it in a way that gains interest for tribal members.”
He said he hopes the program eventually leads to more tribal members in technical roles, management positions and leadership across the federal‑contracting portfolio.
“I’d love to see tribal members working on specific tribal work,” he said. “I’d like to see some in general manager roles in the future and some in leadership. I think there’s a place for everyone.”
Oversight debate and tribal sovereignty
The launch comes as the SBA 8(a) program faces increased political attention. Ritchie said the tribe supports strong oversight but is concerned about narratives that conflate tribal enterprises with broader debates about diversity programs.
“We don’t want fraud, waste and abuse in the program,” he said. “But we get looped into the DEI narrative — we’re sovereign nations. Programs like the SBA 8(a) program allow us to develop revenue sources that make us less dependent on government programs.”
Ritchie said the tribe has used 8(a) authority to build a diversified federal‑contracting portfolio over the past 15 years, helping stabilize revenues and support long‑term economic planning.
“If you want to build something to flip it, that’s one thing,” he said. “But if you want seven generations, it takes time and commitment and a lot of resources. That 8(a) program has been successful for us in accomplishing that.”
Ritchie said the development program is designed to transfer institutional knowledge as the regulatory and political environment evolves.
“This is more hands-on,” he said. “Rolling up their sleeves, working shoulder to shoulder. Teaching the uniqueness and nuance around federal government contracting.”
Daniels said the timeline for completing the program will depend on the political and contracting landscape, but he hopes to reach a full leadership role within a year to 18 months.
“It’s a first for us, so we’re learning together as we go,” he said. “This is a very quickly expanding development and revenue generator for tribes. The corporation is really that backbone of what we can rely on for services back home.”
Potawatomi Ventures plans another advocacy trip to Washington in early March. Ritchie said the message will remain consistent: the 8(a) program is part of the federal government’s trust responsibility and a pathway to economic self‑determination.
“We’re going to continue to advocate,” he said. “We’re going to continue to tell this story, because it’s important.”