Smoke Signals 3
JANUARY 15, 2007
January's General Council Meeting Highlights Education Programs
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Tribal member & Education Manager April Campbell
By Toby McClary
Tribal Chair Chris Merrier called
the meeting to order and Tribal
Elder and council member Wesley
"Buddy" West gave the invocation
for the first General Council meeting
of the year held on January 7, 2007.
Tribal Elder and council member
Wink Soderberg was absent due to
surgery. All of the other eight council
members were present. The minutes
from December's meeting were ap
proved and the focus then turned to
new business.
Under new business the Tribe's
Education Division was highlighted
through a Powerpoint presentation
given by Education Manager April
Campbell. Campbell began her pre
sentation by introducing the heads of
each education program. She intro
duced Vikki Bishop, Molly Matthews,
Joanne Carr, Bryan Langley, Marion
Mercier and Trinity Minahan who
were all present.
Campbell then introduced the
four departments that make up the
Education Division; Early Childhood
Education, Youth Education, Higher
Education and the Tribal Library.
She explained that Early Childhood
Education is currently serving 47 stu
dents. They have three classrooms,
one of which has a Chinuk Immersion
Program that teaches students the
Chinuk Wawa language. They also
teach total wellness which includes
social, economic, health, academic,
nutrition and culture.
Campbell then turned the focus
onto the Youth Education Depart
ment which houses Kindergarten
through 12th grades. In all, there
are 153 students who participate in
many activities through the Youth
Education Department. Some of the
activities include a before and after
program, cultural activities, leader
ship opportunities and summer youth
employment opportunities.
The Higher Education Department
was then the highlight of Campbell's
presentation. There are currently
309 total active students enrolled in
the many programs and trainings
that make up the Higher Education
Department. The Tribe offers many
programs on the collegiate level.
Those programs include college ca
reer counseling, adult education,
continuing and distance education,
short term training, adult vocational
training, higher education and schol
arship programs.
The next topic of discussion was the
- Tribal Library. Campbell informed
the meeting attendees of the library
hours, the activities that are held at
the library on a monthly basis and
explained that the library was open
to all Tribal membership as well as
the general public.
"Last year, there were 6,300 pa
trons that visited the library and
there are currently 725 library cards
in circulation," said Campbell.
To wrap up Campbell's presenta
tion, she gave actual budget numbers
for each education program in 2007.
"One of the blessings that educa
tion has is that we are endowed for
2007," she said, "so we are receiving
endowment resources to fund our
programs."
The floor was then opened for
questions.
"Do you see any kind of an expan
sion from what you already have?"
asked council member Kathleen
Tom.
"That's one of the things we need
to work more closely with Tribal
Council and the executive team," ex
plained Campbell, "to identify what
kinds of growth, if any."
Council member Val Sheker took
time to thank the education program
for the success of her three son's edu
cation as well as her own.
Tribal Elder Linda Olson asked if
the Education Department worked
with housing for student housing.
"Yes, yes we do," said Campbell.
Tribal member Elaine LaBonte
expressed her concern for extending
education services to the Sheridan
School District area stating that "the
transportation isn't there and it is
five miles further out."
Campbell responded by saying it
is being looked at and it is part of
the assessment being a January 25
meeting.
LaBonte then asked if Tribal mem
bers and parents would be invited to
that meeting.
"Yes. We are just in the early
stages right now of identifying what
we do currently and what services
are needed outside of the area," said
Campbell.
Campbell then thanked Tribal
Council and the Tribal membership
for their support.
The door prize winners were then
announced in which Lynn "Bear"
Robertson, Bernadine Shriver and
Dwayne Wheeler all won $50 and
Sylvia Fuller won $100.
After the lunch break, the winners
of the Elders' Committee election
were announced. Violet Folden,
Louise Coulson and Janet Phillips
were all voted in.
The next General Council meeting
is scheduled for Sunday, February
11, 2007 at 11 a.m. at the Holiday
Inn Airport Hotel located at 8439
N.E. Columbia Blvd. Portland, Or
New PosDttDoirc Focuses Odd DeveDopinnieirDft
Tribal member Pete Wakeland is Tribe's first Director of Development.
By Ron Karten
Tribal member Pete Wakeland has
accepted the position of Director of
Development.
"Under general administrative direc
tion of the General Manager," reported
Tribal member Chris Leno, who is the
Tribe's General Manager, Wakeland
will supervise the departments of
Planning & Grants Development, En
gineering, Lands Management, Public
Works, Natural Resources, and Round
Valley Construction, a Tribally-owned
company.
"The goal of the position is to utilize
those departments in a coordinated
manner to work through projects
that the Tribes see as valuable," said
Wakeland.
In the new position, Wakeland
will oversee such projects as tribal
development of buildings and in
frastructure, and such community
development opportunities as recre
ation projects and the development
of community amenities.
"I will proceed under my new job
according to the priorities that have
been identified by Tribal Council,
that is, the Grand Ronde road project,
cultural center, plank house project,
and others," said Wakeland.
This position replaces the Direc
tor of Operations job recently held
V vS
( I
Tribal member & Director of
Development Pete Wakeland
by Chris Leno. The Director of
Operations. ..revolved around our
Tribal departments that provide di
rect services to Tribal membership,"
wrote Wakeland. "The Development
Director will be focused on the devel
opment of the community."
Wakeland has been employed with
the Tribe for almost 12 years. Most
recently, he served as the Natural
Resources Manager for four-plus
years and continues to serve as a
Grand Ronde Tribal Housing Author
ity Board member. Wakeland also
has economic and Tribal develop
ment experience from his service on
the Spirit Mountain Development
Corporation, and was the first Tribal
Hatfield Fellow.
"I have high expectations of my
self and of those that report to me,"
Wakeland said. "I want to help de
velop a realistic concept of how we
want our local community to look in
five years, 10 years, 15 years, and
then help the Tribe develop the com
munity in a responsible and efficient
manner."
Staffers under Wakeland will now
have "a point person where develop
ment is in play," he said. "I have
some ideas on a "process" for how
we move ahead and that may differ
a little bit from how we do it now, but
perhaps the real difference will sim
ply be how we organize and proceed
with our development projects."
He sees his job as "making sure that
my staff can do their job. I expect a
lot. I like for people to take their
work seriously, but not themselves.
I want to enjoy coming to work, and
I want my staff to enjoy it, too. In
the past, we've always found ways to
make those things happen."
Wakeland headed the Natural
Resources Division before taking a
position among the Tribe's senior
management.
"I think there are many reasons
that the Natural Resources expe
rience has helped me develop as
a professional," said Wakeland.
"Natural Resource positions, across
the board, provide opportunities
for a person to work with a wide
variety of other professionals, at the
federal, state and county levels, and
across disciplines. I believe that
the Natural Resources field is one
where successes can be measured
and miscues can be a learning tool,
and that a person must make deci
sions in a timely manner and
not be afraid to be wrong once in
a while. At the Tribes' Natural
Resources shop, I was blessed with
truly amazing staff. They made my
job easy, really. But, how about we
just say that OSU is a good place to
get an education (though the better
football program lies in Eugene
Go Ducks!!!)"
Which gives you a good idea of
how Wakeland keeps everybody
happy.