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Leadership Council

Composed of national experts who offer a variety of perspectives on the economic and financial circumstances in Native communities, our Leadership Council advises and assists with the Center for Indian Country Development’s strategy and priorities.

CICD Leadership Council

Debbie Atuk

Inupiaq, Kingikmiut
Chair
Bering Straits Native Corporation Government Services LLC

Melanie Benjamin

Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe
Chief Executive (former)
Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe

Cory Blankenship

Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
Executive Director
NAFOA

Stephanie Russo Carroll

Ahtna-Native Village of Kluti-Kaah
Associate Professor
University of Arizona

Skya Ducheneaux

Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe
Executive Director
Akiptan Inc.

Leonard "Lenny" Fineday

Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe
Secretary/Treasurer
Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe

Dawson Her Many Horses

Rosebud Sioux Tribe of South Dakota
Managing Director
Wells Fargo

Mary LaGarde

White Earth Nation
Executive Director
Minneapolis American Indian Center

Kūhiō Lewis

Native Hawaiian
CEO
Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement

Alisha L. Murphy

Diné/Navajo
Economist
Navajo Nation Division of Economic Development
Executive Director
Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians
Chief Economist
Cherokee Nation Businesses

Jean Swift

Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation
Chief Financial Officer
Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation

Governor Reggie Wassana

Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes
Governor
Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes

Larry Wright Jr.

Ponca Tribe of Nebraska
Executive Director
National Congress of American Indians