Dr. Cynthia Chavez-Lamar, Director of the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI), provided the keynote address to our Tribal Members, reaffirming her work with the Indian Gaming Association. The NMAI is excited about hosting the Native Farm Bill Coalition’s Food Sovereignty Exhibit, on May 11th, in Washington, D.C., at the NMAI. IGA Vice Chairman David Bean then officially opened up nominations for the positions of Chairman and Secretary, where both current Chairman Ernie Stevens, Jr. and Secretary Paulette Jordon received sole nominations. They both ran unopposed, successfully garnering unanimous support from tribal leadership to continue to serve in their current positions. In the afternoon membership meeting, the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community Tribal Council and members of their business council presented a check, contributing to IGA to support the organization’s mission of representation in Washington, DC. Keith Anderson, Shakopee Chairman, presented the check to the IGA Board of Directors and said, “It is our humble honor to present IGA with this contribution today. We value the work they do for Indian Country in Washington, D.C.,” Anderson added, “We have done this for many years. We agreed to do this well over a decade ago.” Other reports and updates to the tribal leadership included a report from National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC) Chairman Sequoyah Simmermeyer and John Echohawk, Executive Director of the Native American Rights Fund (NARF). The afternoon included the first of two panels discussion, which focused on Sports Betting, entitled “The Future of Sports Betting for Indian Country: Prospective Outlook by Region.” Moderated by Jason Giles, IGA Executive Director, included panelists James Siva, Chairman of the California Nations Indian Gaming Association, Matt Morgan, Chairman of the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association, and Rodney Butler, Chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation. The final panel discussion entitled “Tribal Leader Strategy Discussions: Taking the Next Steps in Protecting Tribal Jurisdiction” included panelists Mark Macarro, Chairman of the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians, Ryman LeBeau, Chairman of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, and Fawn Sharp, President of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI). The 2023 Indian Gaming Association membership meeting concluded with the official swearing into the next two-year term for Chairman Ernie Stevens, Jr., and Secretary Paulette Jordan.
7 | INDIAN GAMING UPDATE - 2023 FIRST HALF EDITION
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs