S moke S ignals
SEPTEMBER 1, 2016
9
Employees were treated to breakfast
SERVICE continued
from front page
Vocational Rehabilitation Case-
worker Dodie McKenzie, Youth
Prevention Supervisor Lisa Leno
and Fish and Wildlife Program
Manager Kelly Dirksen, 20 years.
The ceremony honored employees
hired in the second quarter of the year.
Tribal Council member Jon A.
George started the ceremony with
an invocation and then employees
were treated to a breakfast pre-
pared by Simply Delish Catering.
The meal included biscuits and gra-
vy, breakfast sandwiches, pastries
and fruit, as well as orange juice,
bottled water and coffee to drink.
In addition to George, Tribal
Council Chairman Reyn Leno and
Tribal Council members Tonya
Gleason-Shepek, Brenda Tuomi and
Denise Harvey lined up to shake
hands with those being honored for
ive years or more of service.
Tribal Council Chief of Staff
Stacia Martin handed out the cer-
tiicates and checks, and in the case
of employees reaching 10 years of
service she also distributed Tribal
Pendleton blankets.
Those honored were:
19 years: Tribal Court Adminis-
trator Angela Fasana, Tribal Coun-
cil Senior Administrative Assistant
Lauri Smith, Information Systems
Operations Manager William Ke-
phart and Health Promotion Spe-
cialist Darlene Aaron.
18 years: Human Resources
Training Specialist Vickie Merrill,
Housing Department Manager
Shonn Leno, Senior Staff Attorney
Deneen Aubertin Keller, Gaming
Commission Executive Assistant
Kathy Doane and Children & Fami-
ly Services Supervisor Kristi Petite.
17 years: Publications Produc-
tion Specialist Justin Phillips and
Purchased/Referred Care Supervi-
sor Melody Baker.
16 years: Swing Shift House-
keeping Supervisor Ben Bishop.
15 years: General Manager Da-
vid Fullerton and Staff Accountant
Amy Gallant.
14 years: Procurement Manager
Larry Leith, Vocational Rehabil-
itation/477 Trainee Chris Martin
and Early Childhood Instructional
Assistant Roxanne Moniz.
13 years: Applications Admin-
istrator Candice Olsen, Nutrition
Program Cook Michael Burton,
Silviculture and Fire Protection
Manager Colby Drake and Gaming
Inspector Kary Turner.
12 years: Senior Human Resourc-
es Generalist Steve O’Harra, Staff
Accountant Laura Mercier, Social
Services Senior Intake Specialist
Donna Johnson and Family Services
Coordinator Audra Sherwood.
10 years: Housing Maintenance
Technician Randy Bean, Gaming
Smoke Signals receives
eight NAJA awards
Staf wins three irst places, takes second in general excellence
Smoke Signals, the bimonthly
newspaper of the Confederated
Tribes of Grand Ronde, won eight
awards that included three first
places from the Native American
Journalists Association for work
published in 2015.
Publications Coordinator Dean
Rhodes won first place in the As-
sociate Division in the News Story
category for his story about federal
officials visiting Spirit Mountain
Casino and brieing Tribal leaders on
Oregon’s legalization of marijuana,
which took effect in 2015.
Rhodes competed in the Associate
Division for nonTribal members who
work for Native publications.
Grand Ronde Tribal members
Brent Merrill and Justin Phillips
received first-place awards in the
Professional Division for Feature
Story and Layout, respectively.
Merrill received irst for his story
“Betrothal on Break,” a story about
Spirit Mountain Casino employee
Clint Folden getting married by
surprise on his lunch break. Phillips
was honored for designing Smoke
Signals and was judged by entering
three issues of the paper.
The Professional Division is for
enrolled Tribal members who work
for Native publications.
Tribal photographer Michelle Alai-
mo received a second-place award in
the Associate Division in the Best
Photo of Native America category for
her photographs of the Tribe’s First
Salmon Ceremony held in West Linn
in May 2015 and Merrill received a
second-place award in the Profes-
sional Division’s Best Sports Story
category for his feature on Tribal
member Marcel Allen’s bull-riding
successes.
Smoke Signals also received a sec-
ond-place award in the Professional
Division for general excellence. The
award goes to the entire staff.
Third-place awards went to Alaimo
in the Associate Division’s Best Fea-
ture Photo category for photographs
of the Tribal Council Christmas
Party held in December 2015 and to
Rhodes in the Associate Division’s
Best Feature Story category for his
story about Tribal Elder Opal David-
son turning 100 years old.
The National Native Media Awards
will be distributed during NAJA’s
Media Awards Banquet to be held on
Tuesday, Sept. 20, in New Orleans.
“Winning awards from the Native
American Journalists Association is
always a rewarding experience for
our staff,” Rhodes said. “The recogni-
tion continues to show that the Grand
Ronde Tribe supports one of the best
Native newspapers in the country
and the most honored Native news
publication in Oregon.
“We continue to be thankful for the
support we receive throughout the
year from our Tribal colleagues, Tribal
Council and Tribal members in helping
us to create and distribute an informa-
tive and professional publication for
Tribal members and those interested
in the Grand Ronde Tribe.” n
Commission IT Network Analyst
Tanner Fish, Health Information
Technician Leanne Norwood, Sil-
viculture/Fire Protection Techni-
cian Jeremy Ojua, Post Treatment
Counselor Chris Holliday, Aquatic
Biologist Bryan Fendall, Adult Fos-
ter Care Caregiver Anna Huston
and Early Head Start Home-Based
Visitor Shelley Clift.
9 years: Adult Foster Care Care-
giver Carmen Parren and Gaming
Commission Licensing Manager
Tisha Gleason.
8 years: Gaming Commission
Executive Director Michael Boyce,
Cultural Interpretive Specialist
Brad Leno, Chinuk Language
Program Manager Ali Holsclaw,
Home Ownership Coordinator
Victoria Jones, Senior Records
Clerk Dalette Remington-Nash and
Gaming Commission Background
Investigator Nicholas Bailey.
7 years: Adult Foster Care Care-
giver Ardyth Hoffer-Hallicola,
Certified Medical Assistant Dana
Seagrove and Head Start Teacher/
Education Coordinator Kristina
Jaquith.
6 years: Wildlife Biologist Lindsay
Belonga, Senior Forester Zach Haas,
Realty Specialist Teresa Brocksen,
Dentist Erin Lange, Lead Mainte-
nance Technician Andrew Freeman,
Health Promotion Specialist Tammy
Leno and Adult Foster Care Caregiv-
er Ginger Whitman.
5 years: Swing Shift House-
keeper Nathan Mueller, Rental
Housing Assistant Michele Plum-
mer. Behavioral Health Director
Jan Kaschmitter, Silviculture/Fire
Supervisor Jim Pinder, Youth Pro-
grams Assistant Shannon Stanton,
K5 Tutor Adviser Tiffany Mercier
and Housing Department Mainte-
nance Technician Lee Wilson.
After the certiicates were distrib-
uted, Fullerton rafled off six one-
day administrative leaves only for
employees in attendance, and door
prizes for all employees. Door prizes
included a Fitbit exercise monitor,
espresso coffee-making machine,
hammock and grill. n
TRIBAL COUNCIL ORDINANCE
OPEN FOR COMMENT
The Tribal Council is considering amendments to the Tribal Council
Ordinance. The proposed amendments were given a First Reading at the
August 3, 2016, Tribal Council meeting.
The proposed amendments would incorporate portions of the Tribal
Council Operating Procedures that are in use today, and make a num-
ber of other revisions such as better deining council member roles as
liaisons to committees and boards, describing how individuals are to
address council at meetings, expanding the Public Hearings provision,
and clarifying how Legislative Action Committee (“LAC”) sheets may be
signed by council members not attending an LAC meeting.
Tribal Council invites comment on the proposed amendments to the
Tribal Council Ordinance. For a copy of the proposed amendments, please
contact the Tribal Attorney’s Ofice at 503-879-4664. Please send your
comments to the Tribal Attorney’s Ofice, 9615 Grand Ronde Road, Grand
Ronde, Oregon, 97347 or by e-mail to legal@grandronde.org.
Comments must be received by September 14, 2016.