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S moke S ignals
JUNE 15, 2015
Tribe honors 151 employees for 1,822 years of service
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
An Employee Recognition Gath-
ering held Thursday, June 4, in the
Tribal gym honored employees who
reached milestones in their years
of service to the Tribe for three
quarters – the final quarter of 2014
and the first two quarters of 2015.
The three quarters added up to
some lofty numbers – 151 employ-
ees recognized for a combined 1,822
years of service to the Confederated
Tribes of Grand Ronde.
After employees partook of a
waffle bar for breakfast prepared
by Nutrition Program employees
Kristy Deloe and Patti LeClaire,
Human Resources Director Connie
Holmes welcomed employees and
introduced Land and Culture Man-
ager Jan Looking Wolf Reibach,
who gave a blessing.
Holmes then introduced Tribal
Council members in attendance:
Chairman Reyn Leno, Secretary
Toby McClary and Ed Pearsall,
Denise Harvey and Chris Mer-
cier.
“Our staff has always done a
great job,” Leno said. “I have al-
ways acknowledged our staff. I’ve
been here a long time and seen our
staff grow. … I think that we have
a great staff and we try to make
this a great place for you to work.
So thank you. This is our way to
recognize you.”
“I want to thank you for all of the
hard work you do,” Harvey said. “It
doesn’t go unnoticed.”
General Manager Dawn Doar
then read off the lengthy list of
employees honored. They were:
30 years: Tresa Mercier.
27 years: Gregg Leno.
25 years: Lonnie Leno.
24 years: Tracy Biery, Barbara
Mercier, Marion Mercier, Karan
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
Rosie Saldivas, Tribal day shift housekeeper, shakes hands with Tribal
Council member Ed Pearsall after receiving her service award certificate
during the Employee Recognition Gathering in the Tribal gym on Thursday,
June 4. Saldivas has worked for the Tribe for seven years. Also congratulating
those being recognized is Tribal Council member Chris Mercier, left, Tribal
Council Secretary Toby McClary, third from left, Tribal Council Chairman Reyn
Leno, fourth from left, and Tribal Council member Denise Harvey.
Scharf and John Mercier.
23 years: Elizabeth Leno.
21 years: Penny DeLoe.
20 years: Eric Webster, Kim
Mueller and Wendell Olson.
19 years: Cindy Mitchell, Lisa
Leno, Dolores McKenzie, Kelly
Dirksen, Dan Ham, Julia Papen,
Dana Ainam, Hollie Mercier, Jerry
George and Tammy Gould.
18 years: Lauri Smith, Angela
Fasana, Vikki Bishop, William
Kephart, Darlene Aaron, Michael
Karnosh, Jan Looking Wolf Reibach
and Jody Jerger.
17 years: Shonn Leno, Deneen
Aubertin Keller, Kathy Doane,
Kristi Petite, Sunni Ulestad and
Donnette Spaulding.
16 years: Justin Phillips, Shirley
Walkoff, Melody Baker, Tammy
Garrison and Lillian Engle.
15 years: Ben Bishop, David
DeHart, Connie Wyngarden and
Crystal Szczepanski.
14 years: David Severns, David
Fullerton, Marietta Leith, Amy
Gallant, Christopher Bailey, Ty-
son Mercier, Kim Rogers, Michelle
Manso, Jill Hafliger and Nathan
Rolston.
13 years: Roxanne Moniz,
Christopher Martin, Larry Leith,
Kerrina Mishler, Travis Stewart,
Charlean White and Donald Coon.
12 years: Candice Olson, Michael
Burton, Colby Drake, Kevin Camp-
bell, Stephanie Grim, Joshua Clift,
Jake McKnight and Willie Mercier.
11 years: Sydney Clark, Donna
Johnson, Laura Mercier, Steve
O’Harra, Audra Sherwood, Lisa
Archuleta and Kathy Cole.
10 years: Darin Riggs, Nancy
Renfrow, Rebecca Goeserich and
Shawn Bobb.
9 years: Bryan Fendell, Anna
Huston, Shelley Clift, Christopher
Holliday, Jeremy Ojua, Leanna
Norwood, Randy Bean, Tanner
Fish, Debra Nolen, Leslie Riggs,
George Neujahr, Toni Mercier,
Michelle Sweeney, Jessica Cruick-
shank, John Genera Jr., Loyal
Hamilton and Rose Smith.
8 years: Tisha Gleason, Carmen
Parren, Eleanor Ashman, Joseph
Shelley, Tauni McCammon and
Joe Loomis.
7 years: Dennis Dinsmore, Mi-
chael Boyce, Victoria Jones, Ali
Holsclaw, Dalette Remington-Nash,
Brad Leno, Lewis Younger, Nicho-
las Bailey, Michelle Alaimo, Tyrell
Soderberg, Michele Volz, Bart
Bryant, Timothy George, Rosie
Saldivas, Arnoldo Moralez, Brian
Krehbiel, Misty Thorsgard, Joan
Dugger and Jennifer Biesack.
6 years: Kristina Jaquith, Dana
Seagrove, Linda Bird, Ardyth Hof-
fer-Hallicola, Lawrence Schwabe,
Kari Culp, Shelby Wren, Amanda
Mercier, Flicka Lucero, Angela
Renteria, Isaiah Sherwood and
Desiree Allen.
5 years: Teresa Clay, Erin Lange,
Richard Nelson, Lindsay Belonga,
Zachary Haas, Ginger Whitman,
Andrew Freeman, Tammy Leno,
Candi Buswell, Lindsay Ramer,
Leon Ramos, Joseph Grammer,
Jessica Lillard, Niki Mosley and
Esther Stewart.
Health and Wellness Business
Office Manager Tresa Mercier is
the first Tribal employee to reach
the 30-year mark in employment.
She also was honored at the Oct.
9, 2014, employee appreciation
event.
All employees received a bonus
check and those reaching the 10-
year mark in service received a
Tribal Pendleton blanket.
Doar then granted administra-
tive leave starting at noon for all
Tribal employees to thank them for
their service. n
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