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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 2019)
10 Smoke Signals OCTOBER 1, 2019 Employees honored for 1,037 years of service By Danielle Frost Smoke Signals editor Seventy employees were hon- ored for a combined 1,037 years of service to the Grand Ronde Tribe during a third-quarter Years of Service ceremony held Thursday, Sept. 26, in the Tribal gym. Tribal Council Chairwoman Cheryle A. Kennedy thanked em- ployees for their dedication and recalled when she was just one of three people hired to work for the Tribe. Now, there are 512 employ- ees. “That is just amazing,” Kennedy said. “When I think of that to where we are today, it’s you that make this possible. … I appreciate all of the hard work that has been done here, and I appreciate each and every one of you.” Leading those hon- ored in employment longevity was Nat- ural Resources De- partment Timber and Roads Program Man- ager Jeff Kuust, who reached the 30-year mark in working for General Manager David Fullerton draws a name the Tribe. K u u s t b e c o m e s during the raffl e that followed the third-quarter the third employee Employee Recognition. Seventy employees were to reach the 30-year honored for 1,037 years of combined service to mark, joining Health the Tribe. & Wellness Business reached 27 years of service. Offi ce Manager Tresa Mercier and Higher Education Manager Bry- Head Groundskeeper Gregg Leno an Langley and Chinuk Immersion at having work more than three Preschool Teacher Jeff Mercier decades for the Tribe. notched 28 years and Health Bene- Joining Kuust in the quarter-cen- fi ts Specialist Barbara Steere, Staff tury or more club were Tribal At- Accountant Melanie Hubbard, torney Rob Greene at 25 years and Procurement Assistant Kelly Leno, Natural Resources Department General Manager’s Offi ce Adminis- Manager Michael Wilson and Fi- trative Assistant Barbara Branson nance Offi cer Chris Leno, who both ‘Women at War’ nominated for NAMMY award “Women At War: Warrior Songs Vol. 2” was recently nominated for Best Pop Re- cording by the Native Ameri- can Music Awards. The compact disc includes the song “Warrior Wings,” written by Tribal member Shelly Nichols with music by Anna Wang. Earlier this year, the 15- To hear Nichols discuss song CD received the Album her journey and song, of the Year award at the Wis- visit www.spreaker.com/ consin Area Music Industry user/smokesignals/ss-pod- Awards event held in Mil- cast-32-shelly-nichols waukee. This year’s Native Ameri- can Music Awards will be announced on Saturday, Nov. 2, during a ceremony held at the Seneca Niagara Hotel & Casino in Niagara Falls, N.Y. Nichols, a Navy veteran, wrote “Warrior Wings” about her ex- periences serving in the U.S. Navy during which she experienced military sexual trauma. Her lyrics were sent to classically trained pianist Wang, who recorded the song in June 2018 with Nichols providing backing vocals on the track. “Warrior Songs Vol. 2” was released on Nov. 10, 2018. To listen to Nichols’ song, visit warriorsongs.org/track/1564075/warrior-wings. Voting is part of the Native American Music Awards process and the public can express their opinions at www.surveymonkey.com/r/ NAMA19VOTINGBALLOT. n Photos by Timothy J. Gonzalez Natural Resources Timber and Roads Program Manager Jeff rey Kuust is congratulated for his 30 years with the Tribe during the third-quarter Employee Recognition event held in the Tribal gym on Thursday, Sept. 26. Seventy employees were honored for 1,037 years of combined service to the Tribe and Kuust became the third Tribal employee to reach the 30-year mark. and GED Coordinator Tracy Biery attained 29 years apiece. Assistant Tribal Attorney Kim D’Aquila and Cultural Advisor Bob- by Mercier both reached 23 years. Family Services Assistant Elaine Lane Raven, Dental Hygienist Sheila Blacketer and Swing Shift Supervisor Ben Bishop reached the 21-year mark and Procurement Su- pervisor Kevin Mueller and Cultur- al Resources Specialist Christopher Bailey reached 20 years. Third-quarter award recipients were hired between July and Sep- tember. Employees received certifi cates and bonus checks in appreciation for their increasing tenure with the Tribe. In addition, those reaching the 10-year mark received a Tribal Pendleton blanket or an extra $100 in their bonus check. The ceremony began with an invocation from Tribal Council Secretary Jon A. George. Employ- ees were treated to a breakfast of eggs, bacon, bagels, cream cheese, biscuits and gravy, fruit, yogurt and juices. Tribal Council members in atten- dance also included Denise Harvey and Vice Chair Chris Mercier. Tribal Council members also shook employees’ hands and gave hugs as the Years of Service honorees were announced. General Manager David Fuller- ton announced employee names and Human Resources Compen- sation Coordinator Jon R. George handed out the awards. Employees honored during the third-quarter event included: 19 years: Elementary Lead Mat- thew Bucknell, Facilities Manager Tyson Mercier and Grand Ronde Police Department Records/Evi- dence Clerk Egypt Leno. 18 years: Security Department Supervisor Roel Hernandez and Education Senior Administrative Assistant Deborah Bachman. 17 years: Audit Director Trudi Yoshikawa, Natural Resources Ma- chine Equipment Operator Mark Mercier, Treasury Manager Rick Andersen and Swing Shift House- keeper Nathan Mueller 16 years: Benefits Special- ist Peggy Carpenter and Nutri- tion Program Manager Kristy Criss-Lawson. 15 years: Health Information Technician Stephanie Simmons, Member Services Administrator Shannon Simi, Finance Executive Assistant Ken Trevino and Employ- ment Specialist Brandy Hembree. 14 years: Housing Services Co- ordinator Deborah Kroeker and Purchased/Referred Care Specialist Erica Mercier. 12 years: Natural Resources De- partment Secretary Scarlett Holtz, Senior Help Desk Technician Alec Palanuk-Mercier, Publications Coor- dinator Dean Rhodes, Preschool Bus Driver/Aide Jennifer Jerabek and Employment Specialist Misty Carl. 11 years: Natural Resources Fish and Wildlife Technician Mat- thew Zimbrick. 10 years: Patient Account Repre- sentative Kayla Leno, Mail Room/ Printing Clerk Anna White, Help Desk Technician Spencer Olson and Maintenance Supervisor An- drew Freeman. 9 years: Maintenance Technician Jason Bailey, Health Information Technician Amanda McMahon, TERO Administrative Assistant Lori Sterling, Member Services Depart- ment Manager Veronica Montano, Early Childhood Education Depart- ment Manager Angie Blackwell, Housing Maintenance Technician Michael Lane, Young Child Wellness Community Coordinator Keri Kim- sey and Adult and Family Services Supervisor Amber Zimbrick. 8 years: Vocational Rehabilita- tion Trainee Amber Yates, Medical Technologist Staci Pemble, Family Support Services Specialist Joan- na Brisbois and Legal Secretary Susan June. 7 years: Child and Family Ser- vices Caseworker Tara Summers, Tribal Council Chief of Staff Stacia Hernandez, 477 Employment and Training Specialist Angey Rideout, Registered Nurse Tashina Blair, Senior Telecommunications Techni- cian Mark Scheelar, Parks and Rec- reation Specialist Jerry Bailey and Forest Technician Andrew Puerini. 6 years: Maintenance Technician Daniel Mooney, Planning Director Rick George and Cultural Educa- tion Coordinator Jordan Mercier. 5 years: Housekeeper Donn Grisaber, Health & Wellness Clinic Medical Director Lance Loberg and Curriculum Specialist Mercedes Jones. Prizes raffled off included gift cards to Amazon, Portland Trail Blazers tickets, movie tickets, an air fryer, waffle maker, cordless vacuum cleaner, blender, projector and vacuum food sealer. At the conclusion of the event, Fullerton announced that all employees would be given a half-day of ad- ministrative leave in advance of National Native American Day. n Includes information from Smoke Signals Editor Dean Rhodes.
