- Details
- By Tribal Business News Staff
- Economic Development
Leadership changes across Indian Country this month include appointments in Native finance, economic development, Tribal health, education and legal services. Organizations announced new executives, board leaders and senior staff as they expand programs, strengthen advocacy efforts and guide community-focused initiatives.
Highlights include Oweesta Corporation naming longtime Native housing and policy leader Mel Willie to a newly created executive role, Native American Bank selecting Derrick Watchman as board chairman, and Cherokee Nation elevating Aaron Emberton to lead its education services division. Other moves include leadership transitions at Native organizations in Alaska and Hawaii, as well as new appointments to national and Tribal health boards.
HIRES + PROMOTIONS
Oweesta Corporation appointed Mel Willie as chief officer of strategic partnerships, a newly created executive leadership position focused on strengthening national partnerships, advocacy efforts and cross-sector collaboration in support of Native CDFIs, tribes and Native communities. Willie, a member of the Navajo Nation, brings more than 26 years of experience in nonprofit leadership, public affairs, government relations, policy advocacy and Tribal community development. Most recently, he helped establish and lead a Native-focused initiative at NeighborWorks America. He previously served as executive director of the National American Indian Housing Council and founded Chee Consulting, advising Tribal, nonprofit and public-sector leaders on advocacy and public affairs strategies.
Kusilvak Rising Inc. appointed Regina Randall as interim executive director. Randall, an enrolled citizen of the Holy Cross Tribe, is an Indigenous advocate, community organizer and nonprofit founder who was born and raised in rural Alaska. Her work has focused on community engagement, advocacy and public policy, particularly in support of Indigenous communities and expanded opportunities for Alaskans. She has experience developing grassroots initiatives, building partnerships, fundraising and convening stakeholders around shared priorities. Randall holds a master's degree in political psychology from Arizona State University and will lead Kusilvak Rising, an Alaska Native-led nonprofit that supports economic development, capacity building and community initiatives across the 13 communities of the Kusilvak Census Area in western Alaska.
Ninilchik Native Association Inc. named Loren Peterson as chief executive officer. Peterson brings more than two decades of experience in corporate management, public policy and nonprofit development. He previously served as president and CEO of an Alaska Native village corporation and worked as a legislative aide in the Alaska State Senate, where he helped advance legislation establishing what is now the Council for Alaska Native Languages. Peterson also founded Kusilvak Rising Inc., an Alaska Native-led nonprofit focused on economic development and capacity building in western Alaska, and is managing member of Arctic Nature Properties LLC. In 2017, he was recognized as one of Alaska's Top 40 Under 40 by the Alaska Journal of Commerce.
Native American Bank selected Derrick Watchman as chairman of its board of directors, succeeding Kent Paul, who is stepping down after 22 years in the role. Watchman, a citizen of the Navajo Nation, is chief information officer of Navajo Nation Gaming Enterprise and previously served as its chief executive officer. He is also president of Sagebrush Hill Group LLC, a consulting firm focused on economic development in Indian Country. During a career spanning four decades, Watchman has held leadership roles with JP Morgan Chase's Native American Banking Group, Wells Fargo's Native American banking and finance division, and the Navajo Nation's Diné Power Authority. He joins the board leadership of the Denver-based bank, the nation's only multi-tribally owned community development bank.
Spirit Rock Consulting LLC named Carolina Wasinger government relations advisor. In her new role, Wasinger will support Tribal clients in advancing their priorities with the administration and Congress. Wasinger, a citizen of the Delaware Tribe of Indians and the Cherokee Nation, previously served as a government relations advisor at Hobbs, Straus, Dean & Walker. Her experience also includes work on the policy team at the National Congress of American Indians and as a project manager for Stanford University's Hoover Institution Project on Renewing Indigenous Economies.
Hawaiian Lending & Investments announced the departure of Executive Director Rolina Faagai, who is joining the Hawaii Community Foundation after six years with the Native Community Development Financial Institution. Faagai joined HLI in 2019 as a program manager and was named executive director in 2023. During her tenure, the organization grew from a startup nonprofit into a certified Native CDFI, expanded its lending programs and helped deploy down payment assistance grants in partnership with the Hawaii Department of Hawaiian Home Lands. Under her leadership, HLI also became a nonconforming home lender on Hawaiian Home Lands, financing more than $2.5 million in housing projects over the past 18 months.
Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch LLP added Wyatt Williams to its Native American law practice. Based in the firm's Scottsdale, Arizona, office, Williams advises tribal governments, tribal enterprises and commercial clients on transactional, governance, regulatory and economic development matters. His practice focuses on gaming, hospitality, real estate development, financing and other projects supporting tribal economic development. Williams is admitted to practice in Arizona and before the Wilton Rancheria Tribal Court. He grew up on the Walker River Paiute Reservation and has been recognized by Best Lawyers as a One to Watch in real estate law.
Cherokee Nation named Aaron Emberton executive director of education services, overseeing the tribe's education programs, including college resources, early childhood initiatives and youth services. Emberton has served Cherokee Nation since 2020 and was appointed deputy executive director of education services in 2022. During his tenure, the tribe expanded scholarship funding, college access programs and investments in educational infrastructure. Emberton holds a bachelor's degree in chemistry from the University of Arkansas and a master's degree in education with an emphasis in science education from Northeastern State University. He will lead a department of more than 300 employees serving Cherokee citizens across the reservation.
FEATURED RECOGNITION
[PHOTO: (L-R) Marissa Hugo of LCO Federal Credit Union, Laura McRae of Native American Development Corporation and Ashton Been of Mvskoke Loan Fund via Oweesta Corporation]
Oweesta Honors Native CDFI Industry Achievers
Oweesta Corporation honored three Native CDFI professionals with its 2026 Native CDFI Industry Achiever Award during the Native Awards Gala at the organization’s 11th Annual Native CDFI Capital Access Convening in Bangor, Maine. The award recognizes leadership, innovation and service within the Native community development finance sector.
Honorees included Marissa Hugo, member credit representative at LCO Federal Credit Union; Laura McRae, loan program manager at Native American Development Corporation; and Ashton Been, grants and programs officer at Mvskoke Loan Fund.
Hugo was recognized for her role supporting members and operations during a period of organizational transition and growth at LCO Federal Credit Union. McRae was honored for her contributions to Native lending and community development finance, drawing on more than three decades of experience and helping expand access to capital for Native entrepreneurs and organizations. Been was recognized for helping secure more than $17 million in funding for community initiatives and for her work advancing economic development projects, including efforts to establish a tribally owned financial institution.
APPOINTMENTS
Indian Health Council Inc. announced the appointment of Chief Operating Officer Angelina Renteria as the California Area Tribal representative on the National Community Health Aide Program Board. The permanent board, established under the Indian Health Service, helps set national standards and procedures for Tribal and federal Community Health Aide Programs across the contiguous United States. Renteria brings experience in Tribal health administration, public health initiatives and program development. As COO, she oversees operations and strategic programs for Indian Health Council, a nonprofit consortium serving nine tribes in northern San Diego County. In her new role, she will represent California Tribal health interests and help guide the expansion and governance of CHAP nationwide.
Native American Contractors Association announced the election of four members to its board of directors: Jon Panamaroff, CEO of Command Holdings; Austin Tsosie, CEO of Diné Development Corp.; Allyson Mitchell, general manager of Mohawk Networks; and Mal McGhee, executive vice president of strategic relations for PCI Federal Services. Panamaroff and Mitchell retained their seats, while Tsosie and McGhee joined the board as new members. The association also elected its 2026 executive committee, naming Panamaroff and Haven Harris as co-chairs, Steve Li as treasurer and Mitchell as secretary. NACA represents tribally owned companies, Alaska Native corporations and Native Hawaiian organizations participating in federal contracting.
KUDOS
The Minnesota Public Health Association honored Sarah Brokenleg with its 2026 Laura Waterman Wittstock Racial Justice and Health Equity Award, recognizing her work advancing racial justice and Indigenous health. Brokenleg serves as lead American Indian community specialist at the Minnesota Department of Health, where she supports Tribal and Urban American Indian public health initiatives, including Tribal SHIP, Tribal Tobacco and commercial tobacco-free communities programs. An enrolled member of the Sicangu Oyate and a descendant of the Santee Dakota, she has spent more than 20 years working with Tribal Nations through public health practice, community-based research and program development.
If you have news of new hires, appointments or special recognition, please share them with [email protected].
