Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 15, 2011)
12 FEBRUARY 15, 2011 Smoke Signals New director joins Tribal economic development effort By Dean Rhodes Smoke Signal editor There's a black Ford Mustang parked in front of the Tribal Gover nance Center with a personalized California license plate that reads Titu." It belongs to the Tribe's new Eco nomic Development director, Sajeed Titu" Asghar, who has been on board since Jan. 17 and is tasked with help ing Tribal Council and Tribal staff determine where Tribal economic development efforts proceed. Titu, as he likes to be called, joins the Grand Ronde Tribe after having worked for the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians in Southern California since May 2005, where he was the Special Projects Manager and Investment Lead for the Tribe's Investment Board. He says he left San Manuel to seek new challenges and opportunities. Titu says he was attracted to the Grand Ronde Tribe because of the initial contacts he had with Tribal member and Tribal Director of Development Peter Wakeland and Tribal Human Resources Director Walter Kalinowski. "My first exposure to Grand Ronde was Walter and Pete, and the kind of questions they were asking me. I was very impressed by that," Titu says in his office in the Tribal Fi nance Department. "I have done a lot of interviews in my career and no one really fo cuses on What do you do?' Everyone focuses on the team environment. 'Can you work as part of a team?' Walter was the first person to ask, Titu, yeah, you've done great things as part of a team. But what have you done?' " Titu says one of the successes he cited was his work with the San Manuel Tribe on a real estate Photo by Michelle Alalmo SaJd Tit u" Asghar Is th Tribe's nw Economic Development director. development where he established policies, procedures and the budget for a successful $40 million, five year project. Titu says his early economic devel opment work at Grand Ronde will in volve finding consensus among Tribal Council regarding economic develop ment. He is currently interviewing individual Tribal Council members to establish a common ground. "The process we are focusing on now is to bring everybody together to come to a consensus," Titu says. "I'm spending time interviewing Tribal Council members to really establish a platform. That's where we are at. ... The funny thing is, they are all saying the same thing, just in different ways." Ultimately, Titu says, he wants Tribal Council and Tribal staff to speak the same language, have a common understanding of Tribal economic development goals and be able to defend economic develop- American Indian Nations from Termination to Restoration, 1953-2006 Roberta Ulrich When the VS. government ended Its relationship with dozens of Naive American trlbet and band) between WSJ and 1966, it was engaging in a massive social experiment Congress enacted the program, known as termination, in the name of "freeing the Indiana from guvei uuierrt restrictions and improving their quality of life. However, removing the federal status of more than nine dozen tribes across the country plunged many of their nearly 13,000 members into deeper levels of poverty and eroded the tribal peoples sense of Native'ldenttty. Beginning in 107J and extending over a twenty-year period, the terminated tribes, , . 1 one by one. persuaded Congress to restore their ties to the federal government. j IvCStOlMtlOI J. Nonctnelcss, so mucn oamage naa oeen aone mat even touay uic rcsiorai uiuct struggle to overcome the problems created by those terminations a half century Ulrich provides a concise overview of all the terminations and restorations of Native American tribes from 19;) to 1006 and explores the enduring policy implications for Native peoples. This is the first book to consider all the terminations and restorations in the twentieth century as part of continuing policy while detailing some of the individual tribal differences. Drawing from Congressional records, interviews with tribal members, and other primary sources, Ulrich delves into the causes and etfects of termination and restoration from both sides. American Indian f Nations from . itif :i to ; I953-2OO6 December 1010 31 PP I 1 H 4 Uhistratlon. t table S4S-00 hardcover 97S-0- 803a -33&4-S 55-0o Canaiiian'Lyo.99 VK Roberta Ulrich if retired newspaper reporter. She U the author of Empty Nets: Indians, Dams, and the Columbia River. 'Receive a 10 diKOUNt am thb book ()6.oo pi its (hipping) whra you mcnttoa dttcoat cod 4ap 10 uaiBtiift or .t r n n a 0 tv a """"" JN.DKAdNA r t l i I co Longkaf Service. Inc. ro box S845 Chapel HUInc 1751s 895 Available a, bookstores or Order loll free: 800 848-6014 Order by Cue 800-17 6817 E-mail: cuttovnmervice&onrerYitxtJT Web: wwwjiebraskjpreiLunLedu A&reM Please tend me the books checked above Subtotal Shipping total Grand total ; Dbcover C Check endowed ! AmEi AvMHUU O Vita C MC Expiratlon&ut Signature BinwTKone pteuc rotation tfilil eoawKcn ordering mho 'Far dumrwc onkn. pteuc mM ih-pj-tuf Owe of 00 tor the Km hut nd MiQo tor nch MltKwwt tMk. hor imcrrurttort! swOt-TV pkK J4 ttc 00 tot the tuu Nwa and 14 to lw wh mMhhhmJ book All prv.pt ajh'ovl ment decisions. "What we are trying to do is help develop a policy, some objective criteria which will help us make decisions on where the Tribe wants to go," Titu says. Parameters the Tribe needs to consider are numerous: Does it want to invest in a company? Does it want its economic development to have cultural components? Does the Tribe want to participate in collaborative efforts with other Tribes? And there are many other factors to consider. 'These are the kinds of things I am helping them focus on," Titu says. Titu was born in Bangladesh and his family immigrated to the United States in the early 1980s. He is a naturalized U.S. citizen who grew up all over the world, attending boarding schools in Japan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, India and England. Although his father owns a suc cessful shipping business, he de clined an offer to take it over and wanted "to make my own mark." During his family's transition to Oregon, Titu is living in Dallas, awaiting the arrival of his wife and two sons in April. "My wife will decide where we live," he says. Titu says he wants to reach a Salem Feb. 15: 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Feb. 16: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Feb. 17: 9 to 11 a.m. If you need assistance, call Joyce Retherford at 1-800-922-1399, ext. 1393, or call direct at 541-444-8393 or 541-444-8279. Name: Sajeed "Titu" Asghar. Age: 38. Family: Married to wife, Sha hida; two sons, ages 5 and 3. Birthplace: Bangladesh. Education: Graduated from the University of California in Santa Barbara in 1999 with a bachelor's degree in Interna tional Affairs; received a mas ter's degree in International Affairs: Political Economy from School of International Service, American University, in Washington, D.C., In 2003; received MBA in Finance from the Kogod School of Busi ness, American University, in 2003. Previous experience: Worked for the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians as Special Projects Manager and Investment Lead from May 2005 until January 2011. Contact Info: 503-879-2200 or titu.asghargrandronde.org. point where Tribal Council and Tribal staff are educated and know the objective reasons why the Tribe pursued a particular economic de velopment course. "The worst thing I can do is get something done and have them not understand it," he says. "I want them to know exactly why they are doing it. They need to know why they are doing it, and that is defensible." Titu adds he looks forward to the challenge of helping the Grand Ronde Tribe diversify. "I am really enjoying Oregon and the Tribe," he says. "I came from a very affluent Tribe and I strongly believe that Grand Ronde is going to get there. That is my personal belief and I want to be part of that growth. I want my name involved there. It's a personal thing for me. "It's easy to make money when you have money, but how do you make money when you are strug gling? We have good ideas and very good people who are willing to work hard. If we can capitalize that and funnel their strengths and energies for the right cause, I see this Tribe becoming very progressive." "I believe that we have selected a very talented man for the job," Wakeland said. "I look forward to working closely with him where community development and eco nomic development overlap." And Titu? He received the nickname from his paternal grandmother when he was a child. "In my culture, we all have nick names," Titu says. "It's easier." D Upcoming internships CBS News Internship Program Summer 2011 Deadline: Feb. 28 E-mail CC5cbsnews.com for more information. Public Health Summer Fellows Program Summer 2011 Deadline: Feb. 28 Visit www.msm.edueducationTrainingdegreeProgramsmphsum merProgram.aspx for more information. B Oct Zip
