4 SEPTEMBER 15, 2007
Smoke Signals
Tribal member comes home to administer financial risk, insurance
By Erika Merrill
Summer Youth employee
Tribal member Jim Holmes has
returned home.
After working for the Confeder
ated Tribes of Grand Ronde as a
community health representative
for three years starting in 1992,
Holmes left to work for PacifiCare,
dealing with health care and ben
efits, in Seattle, Wash.
Holmes stayed with PacifiCare
for about seven years until he went
to work for CIGNA, another health
care company. After working for
CIGNA for about five years, he de
cided that he wanted to return to
Grand Ronde and find a job.
In addition, Holmes said he want
ed his 2-year-old son, Jarrett, to be
around the reservation and Tribal
members so he could learn more
about his own culture.
Holmes, 42, was hired as Finan-
Name: Jim Holmes
Age: 42
Born: Salem
Tribal job, phone & e-mail:
Financial Risk and Insurance
administrator; 503-879-2221;
jim.holmesgrandronde.org.
Education: Attended Cheme
keta Community College and
Western Oregon College.
Family: Married to wife, Shari;
2-year-old son
Quote: "I'm glad to be back.
It's a lot of fun seeing longtime
employees and also meeting
new people."
cial Risk and Insurance admin
istrator and started on Aug. 1.
Holmes' job responsibilities include
assisting Tribal employees and
members with their benefit issues
and helping create beneficial cover
age plans for the future.
Holmes grew up in Salem, where
he attended North Salem High
School. After he graduated from
high school in 1983, he attended
Chemeketa Community College
and then Western Oregon Col
lege. Holmes said he has been interest
ed in health care since high school
and was excited to have a chance
to work for the Tribe.
"The thing I enjoyed most was
working with the Elders, talk
ing with them and learning from
them," he said.
Holmes and his wife, Shari, have
been married for about three years.
He said that his wife and son are
his life, and that they are very sup
portive of his career moves.
Some of Holmes' hobbies include
spending time with his family and
A
Q
Tribal member Jim Holmes
watching sports. He is a huge base
ball fan and his favorite team is the
Seattle Mariners.
"I'm glad to be back. It's a lot of
fun seeing longtime employees and
also meeting new people," Holmes
said. B
ADD weir tihe fitflaps
Mell joins Tribe as Geographic Information
Systems coordinator
By Ariel Bailey
Summer Youth employee
Maps can sometimes be confus
ing, difficult to read and almost
impossible to refold.
However, the Tribe's new Geo
graphic Information Systems co
ordinator has dedicated his life to
making maps easier to read.
"We work to make maps easier
for people to use," said Volker Mell,
who goes by just "Mell."
Mell, 36, comes to the Tribe with
a master's degree in forestry engi
neering. He is currently working
on his second master's degree in
geographic information systems
through the University of Manches
ter in the United Kingdom.
Mell works to produce maps that
incorporate information from land
databases. He said his main task
is to create an enterprise system
in Grand Ronde.
"More Tribal employees will be
able to use extended services in
geographic information systems to
help them in their daily jobs," he
said. "It will become easier for peo
ple to print their own maps and use
GIS in conjunction with databases
in decision-making processes."
Volker Mell
Mell is currently working with
the Tribe's Cultural Department
on maps detailing the reservation's
ceded land. He also is working on
'maps that will depict the diver
sity of Native languages spoken
throughout western Oregon.
In addition, Mell is working
with the Forestry Department to
integrate timber harvest data onto
maps. He is already think
ing of future projects that
he would like to tackle.
"I hope to work with
the wildlife people to map
wildlife habitat," Mell
said.
Originally from Ger
many, Mell earned a for
estry engineering degree
in his native country at
the University of Applied
Science in Rottenburg.
He spent a semester in
Australia and another in
the United States. While
in the United States, he
volunteered with the U.S.
Forest Service in Wash
ington state and also met
his wife, Mariann.
Mell previously worked
at the Confederated Sal-ish-Kootenai
Tribe in
northwestern Montana,
which is on the Flathead
Reservation, for more than
four years as a geographic
information systems ana
lyst. He then spent two years at
Sheldon Jackson College in Sitka,
Alaska, as a GIS and remote sens-
Name: Volker Mell
Age: 36
Born: Germany
Tribal job, phone & e-mail:
Geographic Information
Systems coordinator;
503-879-4636;
volker.mellgrandronde.org.
Education: Master's degree
in forestry engineering
Family: Married to wife,
Mariann
Quote: "We work to make maps
easier for people to use."
ing instructor.
Mell said he moved to Grand
Ronde because of his love of the
Northwest and his enjoyment of
working with Tribes. Another draw
to the Northwest was the proximity
to his wife's family, which lives in
Vancouver, Wash.
Mell's hobbies include geocach
ing, which he describes as "a trea
sure hunt with a GPS." He said
anyone who is interested should
contact him or check out the Web
site wwwgeocaching.com.
With more than 60 treasures hid
den within the 10-mile radius of
Grand Ronde, geocaching is a sure
way to become familiar with global
positioning systems and spend time
outdoors, he said.
Mell lives in Sheridan with his
wife, a pet dog and two ferrets. D
Buddy Haslcins Jr. Memorial
Dinner & Giveaway
Community Center, noon Dinner
Giveaway following dinner.
Saturday, Sept. 15
For more information, call 503-879-6468.
Attention Tribal Veterans
Applications now being accepted for the Veterans' Special Event Board.
If you are interested, please contact Dakota Whitecloud at 503-879-1309 or
dakota.whiteclondgrandronde.org ,
Podiatrist To Be At
's Clinic
The clinic has contracted with podiatrist Jeffrey Russo to be on site two days
a month starting on Tuesday, Sept. 18. At this time, only Tribal members
are eligible for podiatry services. Dr. Russo will be on site for 2007 as follows:
Sept. 18, 25; Oct. 9, 23; Nov. 13, 27; Dec. 11.
Tribal members can make an appointment by calling 503-879-2002.