S moke S ignals
NOVEMBER 1, 2015
7
Four employees hit or exceed 25-year mark in Tribal service
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
Timber and Roads Manager Jeff
Kuust, Health Benefits Specialist
Barbara Steere, Finance Depart-
ment Accountant Melanie Hubbard
and Procurement Assistant Kelly
Herber were all honored for 25 or
more years of service to the Grand
Ronde Tribe during an Employee
Recognition luncheon held Friday,
Oct. 23, in the Tribal gym.
In all, 61 employees who have
worked a combined 763 years for
the Tribe were honored at the
event.
Kuust reached the 26-year mark
in July and Steere, Hubbard and
Herber all reached the quarter-cen-
tury mark in July, August and
September, respectively.
The event honored Tribal employ-
ees whose seniority date occurs in
the third quarter of the year.
Nutrition Program Manager
Kristy DeLoe and her staff pre-
pared lasagna, breadsticks, salad
and cupcakes for employees and
Tribal Council members Denise
Harvey, Chris Mercier and Brenda
Tuomi attended.
“I truly appreciate everything that
you all do,” Harvey said. “We could
not be where we are today without
you, and I want you to know that I
really do recognize that.”
“I think our job (as Tribal Council
members) would be basically im-
possible if we did not have a lot of
good employees like you guys who
work hard and basically do most of
our work for us,” Mercier said. “You
guys provide invaluable support
and you guys are like the engine of
the Tribal organization.”
“I’m probably the newest employ-
ee here,” Tuomi said, referencing
her September election to Tribal
Council. “I know that these first two
months for me have been amazingly
easy and smooth because of our
staff. I really, really appreciate
that. I appreciate all that you do
for our Tribal members.”
Assistant General Manager
Dawn Doar and Tribal Council
Chief of Staff Stacia Martin read
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
Tribal Procurement Assistant Kelly Herber is congratulated for her 25 years
of working for the Tribe by Tribal Council member Denise Harvey during the
Employee Recognition luncheon held in the Tribal gym on Friday, Oct. 23.
Tribal Council members Chris Mercier and Brenda Tuomi also congratulated
employees who marked an anniversary in the third quarter.
the names of those receiving cer-
tificates for their years of service.
Other employees honored at the
event were:
24 years: Higher Education
Program Manager Bryan Langley;
23 years: Natural Resources De-
partment Manager Michael Wilson
and Finance Officer Chris Leno;
21 years: Tribal Attorney Rob
Greene;
19 years: Assistant Tribal At-
torney Kim D’Aquila, Data Entry
Specialist Sharon Wattier and Em-
ployment Caseworker Pearl Rife;
18 years: Cultural Outreach
Coordinator Bobby Mercier;
17 years: Head Start Teacher
Toni Lockwood, Family Services
Program Assistant Elaine Lane
Raven and Senior Dental Hygienist
Sheila Blacketer;
16 years: Senior Financial An-
alyst Jeff Valentine and Procure-
ment Supervisor Kevin Mueller;
15 years: Youth Education Su-
Ad created by George Valdez
pervisor Matt Bucknell, Senior Net-
work Administrator Jack Dobiash,
Optometric Technician Egypt Leno
and Judicial Assistant Julie Boek-
hoff;
14 years: Education Department
Senior Administrative Assistant
Deborah Bachman;
13 years: Continuing Education
Coordinator John Harp, Audit
Director Trudi Yoshikawa, Equip-
ment Operator Mark Mercier,
Construction Supervisor Thomas
Brown and Treasurer Rick Ander-
sen;
12 years: Benefits Specialist Peg-
gy Carpenter, Nutrition Program
Manager Kristy DeLoe and Ceded
Lands Project Coordinator Brandy
Humphreys;
11 years: Enrollment/Member
Services Specialist Jolanda Cata-
bay, Health Information Techni-
cian Stephanie Simmons, Finance
Department Executive Assistant
Ken Trevino, Tribal Council Ad-
ministrative Assistant Shannon
Simi and Employment Specialist
Brandy Hembree;
10 years: Rental Housing Co-
ordinator Deborah Kroeker and
Contract Health Specialist Erica
Mercier;
9 years: Graphic Design Special-
ist George Valdez and Spirit Moun-
tain Community Fund Program
Coordinator Louis King;
8 years: Accounts Payable Su-
pervisor Nicole Bishop, Central
Phone Receptionist Scarlett Holtz,
Senior Help Desk Technician Alec
Palanuk-Mercier, GIS Coordinator
Volker Mell, Cook Charles Neujahr,
Publications Coordinator Dean
Rhodes, Physician Hal Mitchell,
Housekeeper Kelly Mercier and
TERO Workforce Development
Specialist Misty Carl;
7 years: Controller Linda Hanna,
Middle School Lead Matt Zimbrick
and Pharmacy Technician Kandee
Little;
6 years: Groundskeeper/Main-
tenance Technician Kevin Ruggles
and Patient Account Representa-
tive Kayla Leno;
5 years: Housekeeper Jason Bai-
ley, Oral History Specialist Stacy
Runningbird, Health Information
Technician Amanda McMahon,
TERO Compliance Officer Duke
Kimsey, TERO Administrative
Assistant Lori Sterling, Cultural
Collection Supervisor Veronica
Montano, Groundskeeper/Main-
tenance Technician Michael Leno
and Cultural Protection Program
Manager David Harrelson.
Employees received a bonus check
and certificate, and those reaching
the 10-year mark in service also
received Pendleton blankets.
After the awards, prizes were
raffled off, including a food saver,
walkie-talkies, spice rack, coffee-
maker and decorative Christmas
wreath, among other items. n