Smoke Signals 5
OCTOBER 15, 2004
Council Relations Coordinator Has Set A Goal To Improve Communication
By Peta Tinda
Tribal Council Relations Coordina
tor Dakota Whitecloud stops the in
terview when Tribal Council member
Wesley West comes in holding a file
the size of a phone book.
Seems he's not sure of the numbers.
"See, these are last year's numbers,"
Whitecloud explains, pointing to the
page. "You need to be looking at this
year's, located. . . right here," she says.
West thanks her, leaves and the in
terview starts again.
"So, as I was saying, my job is to
communicate with exterior and inte
rior entities, whether it be Tribal mem
bers, federal and state officials, private
industries, all different types of enti
ties, and relay that information to the
Tribal Council."
That, she says, is the main focus of
her position.
As Tribal Council Relations Coordi
nator, Whitecloud does all those
things, as well as attend just about
every meeting the council has, so she
can track different issues that the
council wants to follow up on.
Doing that might mean setting up
meetings, calling and making appoint
ments or doing follow-up correspon
dence with people.
"It's stressful but rewarding," said
Whitecloud.
Whitecloud, who has worked for the
Tribe for 15 years, is known for her
matter-of-fact demeanor and as some
one to see when the job needs to get
done. "If something needs doing, I do
it," she said.
Her first position was as an assis
tant to the Tribal general and legal
managers. Since then she's worked as
assistant Tribal court clerk, before
working in Tribal finance as execu
tive assistant to the finance officer for
three years.
She feels that working with the dif
ferent branches over the years has
given her a solid basis for communi
cation with the various Tribal depart
ments. "If I don't know the answer, I know
exactly who to call to get the answer."
Whitecloud attends weekly meetings
with the Tribal Council to bring forth
any issues that may have arisen dur
ing the week.
She often takes note of things that
the council doesn't want to fall
through the cracks.
"If certain directives are given, I
track them and let coun
cil know the status of
them," she said.
The most challenging
aspect of her job is "help
ing the membership to
understand that even
though they may feel they
need to have certain infor
mation, it may not be pos
sible to provide the infor
mation that people are
asking for at the present
time."
Its human nature to want
information, Whitecloud
said, so if Tribal members
feel they are being left out of the loop or
not provided with the information they
want, they naturally get upset.
"So it's my responsibility to explain."
She often has to ask people to be pa
tient until she can get them an answer
or until a decision has been made.
She wants the membership to know
that she is always available.
"If the council is not available, then
they can talk to me and I will relay
the information to the council. I'm here
for them and even if I'm in a meeting,
the staff knows they can come and get
Dakota Whitecloud
me and I'll make time."
For the future, Whitecloud wants to
provide more avenues of communica
tion "that are open and honest between
the council and the membership.
That's one of my personal goals."
In her spare time, Whitecloud con
tinues to make the beautiful
leatherwork she is known for. She can
often be seen at local pow-wows, either
selling her leatherwork or just enjoy
ing the celebration. She likes camp
ing, fishing and working on her home
in Grand Meadows.
Executive Secretary Plays Important Role For Tribal Council
By Peta Tinda
Tribal member Colleen Branson has
worked her way up in a very short
time and is now enjoying the challenges
that come with her job as Tribal Coun
cil Executive Secretary.
Branson, the daughter of Marvin
and Eleanor Kimsey and the Grand
daughter of Nora and Loren Kimsey,
started working in housekeeping at the
Tribal governance center three years
ago. From there she got a job in the
Tribal Accounting office, where she
worked for about a year.
She kept her nose to the grindstone
and when the opportunity arose, she
applied for and got the position she
wanted.
Now, as the first person one meets
when they go to the Tribal Council of
fice, she performs a variety of tasks,
from answering phones to greeting visi
tors to assisting with scheduling for
the Tribal Council.
"It's been an excellent opportunity
for me to learn," she said. I think I'm
in the right spot."
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Colleen Branson
She also records the minutes of Tribal
and General Council meetings as well
as taking notes by hand.
The most difficult aspect of her job,
Branson said, is the ability to multitask
and handle many different responsibili
ties at once.
"I have ten bosses," she said, refer
ring to the nine Tribal Council mem
bers and her direct
supervisor, Laurie
Smith, the Tribal
Council Administra
tive Assistant; "So it
gets pretty busy."
"She's highly moti
vated and has shown
a lot of dependability
and initiative," said
Smith.
"She is the first
contact for the Tribal
Council, and because
of that, say, if a VIP
or a Tribal member
with a concern ar
rives, she offers them a wide range of
options to direct them to where they
need to be," added Smith.
Branson says she gets her stick-to-itiveness
from her father, Marvin,
probably best known for his efforts to
get the Tribe restored in the early
1980s.
"Mostly, I watched my dad; he was
one of the main players in the Restora
tion. I watched him work so hard, so I
try to follow his example. When
something's important, he doesn't stop
until it's accomplished."
She says that one of the best aspects
of her job is helping people.
"People want to know that you are
trying to help them," she said, "that
you want to help them. And that's what
I do. If I can help, I will."
Branson said she is enjoying her new
position and plans to stay the course.
"I want to do a lot more in Tribal
government and find out how our gov
ernment works."
To that end, she takes every train
ing course she can. A class on Roberts
Rules of Order, essential to running a
meeting, is on the horizon, with simi
lar classes planned.
"It's good for me to be where I'm at,"
she said. "Even though my part is re
ally small, for me it's important and
I'm hoping it's important for the people
I work for."
Tribal Member Says "Working Here Makes Me Feel Good"
By Toby McClary
The newest employee in the Finance
Department finds joy in working for
the Tribe. Tribal member and Execu
tive Assistant, Ken Trevino, works
closely with Finance Officer, Larry
Kovach.
"Larry and I have a great working
relationship," said Trevino. "I just try
to keep him on time and on task."
Trevino is the son of Tribal mem
ber and Tribal Council Coordinator,
Dakota Whitecloud. Whitecloud was
the former Executive Assistant and
Trevino has taken over where his
mom left off.
Trevino began working for the Con
federated Tribes of Grand Ronde in
July. Some of his job duties include
making arrangements for classes and
seminars, setting up appointments
and keeping the files up to date for
Kovach. He also shadows Kovach in
meetings to take notes and does the
Financial Officer update every week.
"Preparing the Financial Officer
update is very
rewarding to
me," said
Trevino.
Ken's interest
for the Tribe be
gan when he
participated in
the first time
home buyers
program about
three years ago.
He explained
that he wanted
to give back to
the Tribe by con
tributing his
knowledge and
experience.
He went on to
successfully complete the program and
buy his first home in Woodburn, Or
egon, where he still lives today. Ken
lives alone with his dog, Yukon J.
Cornelius.
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Ken Trevino
He has lived in Oregon his whole
life and graduated high school at
Roseburg Senior High in Roseburg,
Oregon with a 3.5 grade point aver
age. He then attended Umpqua Com
munity College for a year and a half.
Shortly after college he had a few odds
and ends jobs until landing a corpo
rate job at Fred Meyer. He worked
there for 14 and a-half years spending
the last five as an Operations Manager.
"Working for the Tribe is a lot dif
ferent than working for a corporation,"
said Trevino. "I have a lot to learn."
Trevino shows interest in what the
Tribe has to offer. He wants to take
advantage of the education options and
says he wants to pursue a degree in
business or business accounting.
Ken feels closer to his culture since
working for the Tribe and has started
to bead, making necklaces and smaller
jewelry. He explained that other than
his mother getting the product, he has
pretty much self-taught himself.
"It's nice to finally be involved with
the Tribe instead of just reading about
it," said Trevino. "Working here makes
me feel good." B