Smoke Signals 7
JUNE 1,2007
Tribal Member Promoted To Director Of Program Operations
By Toby McClary
Tribal member John Mercier
has recently taken on a new posi
tion for the Tribe. After serving
as the Public Works Director
for 14 years, Mercier has been
promoted to Director of Program
Operations.
Mercier has worked for the
Tribe for a total of 16 years and
began his career as the Commu
nity Planner before moving to
Public Works.
"I've been in my current position
since March 26 and things are
going very well," said Mercier. "I
can't say enough about the over
whelming support from Tribal
Council and staff."
Some of Mercier's management
responsibilities will be to oversee
a number of Tribal departments
which include the Cultural Re
sources Department, the Edu
cation Department, the Social
Services Department, and the
Member Services Department.
Mercier splits his departmental
responsibilities with Tribal mem
ber Pete Wakeland who was hired
on as the Director of Development
earlier this year.
"This is the first time that all of
the executive positions have been
filled with permanent placements
in a long time," said Mercier. "It is
my goal to be part
of and help create
a good working
team within the
executive struc
ture." Mercier ex
plained that he
will also assist
Wakeland, who
now oversees the
Public Works De
partment, with
the budgeting,
safety, building
inspections, and
the waste water
treatment plants
which fall un
der the responsi
bilities of Public
Works. Mercier
then added that
he, Wakeland, and
Tribal member and
General Manager Chris Leno
will work to find a "permanent
management solution for Public
Works" in the near future.
"Ideally we would like to find a
Tribal member for that position,"
said Mercier, "but we will search
for a good fit for that depart
ment." Mercier graduated from Wil
lamina High School and attended
Director of Program Operations
& Tribal member John Mercier
both Oregon State University and
Chemeketa Community College.
He explained that he earned his
Land Surveying Certification and
did some surveying work early
in his life. He also worked as a
consultant for many Tribes on
the western half of the United
States before deciding to take
up a career in Grand Ronde. He
stated that he had worked with
Tribes as far north as Alaska, as
far south as Arizona, and as far
east as Oklahoma.
Mercier seems to be happy with
his career decision and explained
that his work with the Tribe is far
from over.
"I am permanently here," said
Mercier. "I plan to help myself
as well as the Tribe to grow and
prosper until I retire."
As proof of his plan to become a
permanent fixture at the Tribe,
Mercier is having a new house
built near Willamina and hopes
to be in it sometime in June.
Mercier lives with his wife, Ad
ministrative Assistant for the
Member Services Department
Hollie Mercier, and their blended
family which consists of children
Kalim, Hattie, Devin, Nick, and a
baby which is due in early June.
Mercier is the son of Tribal Elder
Darrell Mercier and the late Ruth
Mercier.
Although seeming a bit reluctant
to publicize himself, Mercier did
not want to escape our interview
without one final statement.
"I am proud of the accomplish
ments of our Tribe in my entire
16 years of employment," said
Mercier, "and I look forward to
being a part of this Tribe's pro
gression." B
Tribe's New Human Resources Director Sets
Sights On Those Who Want To Succeed
By Ron Karten
Walter Kalinowski, the
Tribe's new Human Resources
director, counts problem solv
ing among his skills. He plans
to focus on "employment strate
gies that work."
"You find out what's working
and what's not," he said in an
interview from his just-barely-moved-into
office last week.
"You look for what plans are in
place to address Tribal goals;
what infrastructure, what re
sources. You look at the gaps
and try to fill them."
In most places, he said, pay and
benefits along with job satisfac
tion are major areas of dissatis
faction, but "that's not true here."
The Tribe already has employee
surveys showing that.
"Those are big issues, and
it's wonderful that they are not
problems here. It says a lot
about the organization."
The Tribal workforce is unique,
he said, in that employees here
have "a higher sense of identity"
and "a sense of purpose" not
found in all workplaces.
"If you work in retail," he said,
"the purpose is profit."
And Kalinowski knows about
both retail and government
work, having served as a direc
tor of Human Resources for
the Minneapolis-based Target
Corporation, and before that
for Seattle-based Frederick &
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Human Resources Director
Waiter Kalinowski
Nelson Department Stores. Ear
lier still, he was a labor relations
specialist for Lane County.
Here, he said, the next step af
ter coming to the job with a sense
of purpose is "to make sure that
employees are. equipped to do
their jobs."
"What do you do with somebody
who doesn't have the skill
sets to do the minimum
level of work?" he asked.
"You need to look at ways
to develop skills. We get
excited working with those
who want to succeed."
As a lover of the long
shot, a friend for the un
derdog, Kalinowski puts
his inclinations and talents
to work both on the job and
at home.
He and his family have
driven "over 40,000 miles"
in Mexico, he said, work
ing alongside missionaries
to supply food, clothing
and construction help to
many communities, in
cluding the Tarahuma
ra Indians in the Sierra
Madre Mountains.
He told a story about
miscues with language
and culture: "I had an
electronic translator, and
couldn't figure out how to
pronounce one of the words
I wanted to say." Finally,
he just showed the transla
tor to the old man he was trying to
communicate with. The old man
looked at the translator and then
nodded. "I thought he understood,"
said Kalinowski. "Later, I learned
that he can't read."
His wife, Kristel, now retired,
spent 17 years teaching in a tough
Texas middle school. "Every day,"
he said, "there was a fight
there."
"She really has a heart for
kids in trouble. You can break
through to some of these kids
and it really makes a differ
ence." "We're always involved in
some kind of community activ
ity," he said. Among the non
profits he and the family have
helped are United Way, Union
Gospel Mission, and the Bet
ter Business Bureau Advocacy
Center (in Colorado).
Four times a year, Kalinowski
joins some 250 others in El
Paso, where they get together
and with the help of different
non-profits and businesses,
they build homes and clean up
areas.
Walter's and Kristel's four
children, from 35 to 16 years
old, are spread across the west,
but Walter's folks still live in
Aberdeen, Washington, so his
return to the Northwest is
something of a homecoming.
Or nearly.
"I'm a very open person for
new ideas," he said. "I take my
job seriously, not myself."
"I'm very very excited to be
here," he said. "People have
been so friendly, very helpful
and generous of their time." He
suspects there may have been
a memo sent out just before he
arrived: Be nice to Walter.