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2013 South Dakota Indian Business Conference 

BUILDING OPPORTUNITIES 

in the 

NEW NATIVE AMERICA 

April 10-12, 2013 | Best Western Ramkota | Rapid City, SD

2013 South Dakota Indian Business Conference 

BUILDING OPPORTUNITIES 

in the 

NEW NATIVE AMERICA 

April 10-12, 2013 | Best Western Ramkota | Rapid City, SD 

The bi-annual South Dakota Indian Business Conference is the premier event in South Dakota’s Native 

economic development field! The 2013 conference, themed “Building Opportunities in the New Native America,” 

and held April 10-12 at the Best Western Ramkota in Rapid City, South Dakota, will bring hundreds of tribal and 

non-tribal government and program representatives, practitioners, policy-makers, lenders, educators, nonprofit 

organizations, foundations, and entrepreneurs together with a focus on building Indian business. 

The overall objective of the conference is to share successful models and strategies that foster the development 

of private Indian business on and off South Dakota’s nine Indian reservations, and to develop policy ideas 

and action strategies to address the dilemmas. Whether you are a business owner, policy-maker, or represent 

a tribal program, there is something for you at the 2013 South Dakota Indian Business Conference! 

2013 CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS 

NATIVE ENTREPRENEURS 

• Enter in the 1st Annual SDIBA Business Plan Competition 

for a chance to win up to $500. 

• Get inspired by other Native entrepreneurs who will share 

their successes and challenges in starting a business, 

during “The Native Entrepreneur Journey” panel. 

• Take advantage of a full day of one-on-one interaction 

with service providers at the Entrepreneur Resource 

Workshops. 

• Receive free booth space to advertise your business just 

by registering for the conference. 

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONALS 

• Participate in a series of Roundtable Sessions and 

discuss challenges and solutions to some of the most 

pressing issues in today’s Indian business development 

environment. 

• Enjoy an evening of dynamic networking and cultural 

entertainment at the Networking Reception. 

• Attend panels and breakout sessions to learn about innovative 

strategies in the areas of workforce development, 

lending and investment, up and coming industries, building 

sustainable communities, and more.

WELCOME 

Dear Conference Attendees, 

On behalf of the South Dakota Indian Business Alliance I want 

to welcome you to the 2013 South Dakota Indian Business 

Conference. South Dakota’s Native American population, 

specifically the reservation communities, have experienced 

economic growth, entrepreneurial successes, and political 

victories since we last convened in 2011. To affirm and celebrate 

our accomplishments, we have developed the theme of this 

year’s conference, “Building Opportunities in the New Native America.” We are 

pleased to present a three-day event packed full of panels and sessions that 

will inspire us all to keep forging the way for Indian business throughout the 

state of South Dakota. 

While we will share many innovations that span the four tiers of the South 

Dakota Indian Business Alliance’s framework for sustainable economic 

development — governance, infrastructure, finance, and resources — 

conference attendees will also be encouraged to express their challenges 

surrounding private sector development. We know that our recent successes 

are only the initial steps of what we envision to be a long journey toward 

creating healthy and prosperous Native communities throughout the state. 

We also recognize that a certain synergy is created when we all bring our best 

ideas together; that is how the most innovative solutions are created to address 

our truly unique challenges in South Dakota’s Indian Country, and beyond. 

Mostly, we hope that the 2013 South Dakota Indian Business Conference will 

inspire you to keep “Building Opportunities in the New Native America!” 

Sincerely, 

Tanya Fiddler 

Chairperson 

South Dakota Indian Business Alliance 

APRIL 10-12, 2013 

RAPID CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA 

1

BUILDING OPPORTUNITIES in the NEW NATIVE AMERICA 


Agenda 

7:00am 

7:30am 

8:00am – 6:00pm 

7:30am – 8:30am 

8:45am – 9:45am 

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2013 

Exhibit Area Set up, Rushmore Room 

Registration Opens, Convention Center II Foyer 

Exhibit Area Open, Convention Center II Foyer 

Breakfast, Rushmore Room 

Opening Session, Pactola/Sheridan Room 

Introduction and welcome prayer led by David Cournoyer, Master of Ceremonies. Followed by honor song by 

M Hill Singers (supported by the Ateyapi Middle School Youth Program). 

Welcome messages by key leaders to present our conference theme, “Building Opportunities in the New 

Native America,” and provide unique perspectives on the growth and development of South Dakota’s Native 

private sector. 

• Tanya Fiddler, Chair of South Dakota Indian Business Alliance 

• Senator Tim Johnson 

• Senator John Thune 

• Representative Kristi Noem 

• Tribal Leaders 

9:45am – 10:00am 

10:00am – 10:45am 

10:45am – 11:45am 

11:45am – 12:45pm 

Break, sponsored by First Peoples Fund, Convention Center II Foyer 

Keynote Speaker: Jacqueline Pata, Executive Director, National Congress of American Indians, sponsored 

by Four Bands Community Fund, Pactola/Sheridan Room 

Ms. Pata will enlighten conference attendees on the DC climate and current advocacy efforts to support small 

business environments in Native communities, as well as data collection initiatives underway that will support 

economic development and business growth in Indian Country. 

Panel: The Native Entrepreneurship Journey, Pactola/Sheridan Room 

Several seasoned Native entrepreneurs share their stories of starting a business on and off reservations throughout 

the state. This panel is designed to pass on knowledge about overcoming challenges of business ownership, 

while also celebrating entrepreneurial successes. 

Moderator: Karlene Hunter, Native American Natural Foods 

Panelists: Zach Ducheneaux, The Ducheneaux Ranch; UnaLee Howe, Working Cowboy Saddlery; Sandra 

K. Isburg, Shelby’s Mini-Mart; Sandy Swallow, Sandy Swallow Gallery 

Lunch, sponsored by Citi Foundation, Rushmore Room 

Featured Presentation: Deputy Under Secretary, USDA Rural Development, Doug O’Brien 

2 2013 SOUTH DAKOTA INDIAN BUSINESS CONFERENCE

12:45pm – 1:45pm 

1:45pm – 4:00pm 

Panel: Building Our Future by Investing in Our Youth, Pactola/Sheridan Room 

Approximately half of the populations on South Dakota’s reservations are comprised of youth, ages 18 and 

under. With such a large percentage of youth, it is imperative to invest in this segment of the population in 

order to build a solid future for our communities. This panel will feature programs that are building the entrepreneurial 

and leadership skills of our youth populations on South Dakota’s reservations. 

Moderator: Michelle DuBray, SDIBA Native Entrepreneur Investment Fund 

Panelists: John Charles Arcoren, Sicangu Nation Employment & Training Program; David Cournoyer, Native 

Youth Leadership Alliance; Keith Ferguson, South Dakota State University Extension; Kristen Stambach, 

Four Bands Community Fund 

2013 South Dakota Indian Business Plan Competition, Coat Check Room 

Native entrepreneurs who are starting or expanding a business will have the opportunity to present their business 

plan to a panel of judges for a chance to win up to $500. 

1:45pm – 3:15pm 

repeating at 

3:30pm – 5:00pm 

2:00pm – 3:15pm 

Entrepreneur Resource Workshops 

Each of the Entrepreneur Resource Workshops, designed specifically for Native entrepreneurs who are starting 

or expanding a business, will provide an overview of critical business-building topics as well as detailed, handson 

assistance to conference attendees from service providers. 

Legion #1 

Small Business Planning. 

This interactive workshop 

environment will provide 

hands-on assistance to 

Native entrepreneurs who 

are in the process of starting 

or a business plan. 

Session attendees will 

be able to speak directly 

with resource providers to 

gain insight into developing 

a business plan, accounting 

procedures, and 

other start-up business 

issues. 

Session Leader: Shawn Bordeaux, 

Sinte Gleska University 

Presenters: Traci Hanson, Ketel 

Thorstensen LLP; Veronica Hix, 

ONABEN; Dona Leavens, Small 

Business Development Center 

Legion #2 

Financing & Technical 

Assistance Solutions for 

Native Businesses. 

This session will provide 

an overview of financing 

solutions and resources 

for Native entrepreneurs 

who are looking to start 

or expand a business, on 

or off a reservation. Session 

attendees will have 

the opportunity to speak 

directly with presenters. 

Session Leader: Mark Stevens, 1st 

Financial Bank USA 

Presenters: Logan Anderson, First 

Peoples Fund; Michelle DuBray, 

SDIBA Native Entrepreneur 

Investment Fund; Kristi Wagner, 

Dakota Resources 

Roundtable Sessions 

Each Roundtable Session will begin with an overview of some of the most pressing issues in Indian business 

development, followed by solution-oriented, constructive dialogue among session attendees. This will be an 

opportunity to share and listen to challenges and successes experienced by other conference-goers. 

[Resource Roundtable Session] 

Sheridan Room 

Innovative Asset-Building for Entrepreneurs. 

This roundtable will discuss innovative strategies that 

promote asset-building for Native entrepreneurs, 

including equity investments, credit building, and 

individual development accounts. 

Session Facilitator: Tawney Brunsch, Lakota Funds 

Discussion Starters: Cora Mae Haskell, Four Bands Community Fund; 

Doug Patton, Lakota Funds; Representative, South Dakota Governor’s 

Office of Economic Development 

Sylvan #1 

Government Contracting 

in Indian Country. 

This session will focus 

on strategies and tips 

for marketing, finding 

contracting opportunities, 

and preparation for 

government contracting 

as they pertain to Indian 

Country. A focus on the 

Disadvantaged Business 

Enterprise and the Small 

Business Administration 

8(a) programs will be 

featured. 

Session Leader: Kadem Fischer, 

Lakota Funds 

Presenters: Sandy Burns, Project 

Solutions; Lisa Claasen, Small 

Business Administration; Leonard 

Smith, Native American Development 

Center 

Sylvan #2 

Marketing to Build Your 

Business. 

This session will provide 

an overview of resources 

to help entrepreneurs 

develop a marketing plan, 

as well as free and lowcost 

strategies that every 

small business can use 

to save time and money, 

including social media, 

email and calendar management, 

smart phone 

apps, time billing, and 

web applications. 

Session Leader: Ivan Sorbel, Pine 

Ridge Area Chamber of Commerce 

Presenters: Marcella Hurley, South 

Dakota Small Business Development 

Center; Peggy Martin, 

Green Thumb Web Designs 

[Governance Roundtable Session] 

Pactola Room 

Uniform Commercial Code (UCC). 

This roundtable session will discuss UCC State-Tribal 

partnerships. 

Session Facilitator: Stacey LaCompte, Wakpa Sica 

Discussion Starters: Jason Gant, South Dakota Secretary of State; JR 

LaPlante, South Dakota Secretary of Tribal Relations 

APRIL 10-12, 2013 


3

3:15pm – 3:30pm 

3:30pm – 5:00pm 

5:00pm – 6:00pm 

Break, sponsored by Wells Fargo, Convention Center II Foyer 

Roundtable Sessions 

Each Roundtable Session will begin with an overview of some of the most pressing issues in Indian business 

development, followed by solution-oriented, constructive dialogue among session attendees. This will be an 

opportunity to share and listen to challenges and successes experienced by other conference-goers. 

[Finance Roundtable Session] 

Sheridan Room 

Exploring Bold and Innovative Lending and Investment 

Ideas. 

This interactive discussion welcomes “outside the 

box” thinkers who want to explore bold and innovative 

ideas about increasing investment and lending in 

Indian Country. 

Session Facilitators: Sandy Gerber, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis; 

Terry Lee, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; Michael 

Martinez, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency 

Discussion Starters: Tawney Brunsch, Lakota Funds; Ruth Christopherson, 

Citi Foundation; Tanya Fiddler, Four Bands Community 

Fund; Clinton Waara, Wells Fargo 

[Infrastructure Roundtable Session] 

Pactola Room 

Overcoming Obstacles with Trust Land Status. 

Trust land status typically creates barriers to establishing 

businesses on reservations; however, recent 

policies and innovative developments have created 

pathways toward overcoming these barriers. This session 

will explore these successful models and discuss 

land leases, consolidating fractionated land, and land 

use plans for commercial development. 

Session Facilitator: James A. Cordry, Office of the Special Trustee for 

American Indians, Department of Interior 

Discussion Starters: Vincent T. Dupris, Office of the Special Trustee for 

American Indians, Department of Interior; Gerald Sherman, Indian 

Land Capital Company; Howard D. Valandra, Office of the Special 

Trustee for American Indians, Department of Interior 

South Dakota Native Marketplace Exhibit, Convention Center II Foyer 

Cruise the exhibit area and see what quality products are being produced by South Dakota’s Native entrepreneurs. 

Take part in our Marketplace Raffle by visiting as many booths as you can. For visiting a booth, you will 

receive one ticket. For making a purchase, you will receive three tickets. Tickets will be collected at the door of 

the Networking Reception. 

6:00pm – 7:30pm 

Networking Reception, Sheridan Room 

Join us for a dynamic evening of networking among conference attendees with hors d’oeuvres and refreshments. 

The reception will feature a presentation of the Marketplace Raffle winner by Rapid City Mayor, Sam 

Kooiker, and a celebration as we announce the 2013 South Dakota Indian Business Conference Business Plan 

winners. The evening’s entertainment will be provided by the Oglala Lakota College Artists Consortium. 




Agenda 

THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2013 

7:30am 

7:30am – 8:30am 

8:00am – 5:00pm 

8:30am – 8:45am 

8:45am – 10:15am 

10:15am – 10:30am 

10:30am – 11:45am 

11:45am – 12:45pm 

12:45pm – 1:45pm 


Breakfast, sponsored by Lakota Funds & Lakota Federal Credit Union, Rushmore Room 


Welcome Message by David Cournoyer, Master of Ceremonies, Pactola/Sheridan Room 

Panel: Creating Employment Opportunities through Tribal Employment Rights, Pactola/Sheridan Room 

Tribal Employment Rights Offices (TEROs) were created to help ensure that Native preference policies are 

enforced and to increase business and employment opportunities in reservation communities. However, this is 

not always the case. This group of panelists will share best practices by TEROs in supporting Native entrepreneurs 

and local businesses. 

Moderator: Lonnie Brewer, Cheyenne River Chamber of Commerce 

Panelists: Kevin D. Buckles, Fort Peck Tribal Employment Rights Office; DelRay D. German, Sisseton Wahpeton 

Oyate Tribal Employment Rights Office; Veronica Hix, ONABEN 

Break, sponsored by South Dakota Small Business Development Center, Convention Center II Foyer 

Panel: Strategies for Building Tribal Economies, Pactola/Sheridan Room 

Economic development efforts in reservation communities are continuously faced with a myriad of challenges. 

Tribal leaders from across the state gather to share strategies that have been successfully implemented and have 

resulted in private sector growth in their communities. 

Moderator: Elsie Meeks, USDA Rural Development 

Panelists: Chairman Michael Jandreau, Lower Brule Sioux Tribe; President Tony Reider, Flandreau Santee 

Sioux Tribe; Chairman Brandon Sazue, Crow Creek Sioux Tribe; Chairman Robert Shepherd, Sisseton 

Wahpeton Oyate 

Lunch, sponsored by Northwest Area Foundation, Rushmore Room 

Featured Presentation: “Undercounting in American Indian Populations,” Mary Killsahundred and Mike 

McCurry, South Dakota State University Rural Life and Census Data Center 

Panel: Growing Local Foods Infrastructure, Pactola/Sheridan Room 

While rural and reservation communities are typically considered food deserts, several organizations are building 

locally-grown food programs and promoting healthy lifestyles. 

Moderator: Shawn Burke, South Dakota State University Extension 

Panelists: Mark Ford, National Relief Charities; Rose Fraser, Oyate Teca Project; Alison Kiesz, South Dakota 

Department of Agriculture; BillyJo Sazue, Hunkpati Investments; Tonia Young, Lakota Funds 

APRIL 10-12, 2013 


5

1:45pm – 3:15pm 

Breakout Sessions 

[Resources] 

Legion #1 

Creating Sustainable Communities. 

This session will explore 

best practices of organizations 

that prioritize 

strengthening social and 

community relationships 

while considering 

sustainability. Concepts 

explored will be social entrepreneurship 

and green 

programs. 

Session Leader: David White Bull, 

Lakota Funds 

Presenters: Danny Butcher, 

Four Bands Community Fund; 

Veronica Hix, ONABEN; Lakota 

Mowrer, Four Bands Community 

Fund 

[Financing] 

Legion #2 

Underutilized Loan Guarantee 

Programs. 

Loan guarantee programs 

can be used to successfully 

build up community 

loan funds, however, 

these programs are often 

underutilized in Indian 

Country. This session will 

demonstrate successful 

models of tribal nations 

and organizations that 

are using loan guarantee 

programs. 

Session Leader: Christine Sorensen, 

USDA Rural Development 

Presenters: Stacey Johnston, Office 

of Indian Energy & Economic 

Development; Dana Kleinsasser, 


[Infrastructure] 

Sylvan #1 

Broadband & Telecommunications 

in the New 

Native America. 

The session will discuss 

how various tribes are 

building services in underserved 

and unserved 

tribal land areas, and how 

Tribes are building taxation 

systems. 

Session Leader: Tonia Young, 

Lakota Funds 

Presenters: Randall Hughes, 

Native Tech Consulting; Madonna 

Peltier Yawakie, Turtle 

Island Communications; Tracey 

Zephier, Fredericks, Peebles, & 

Morgan 

[Governance] 

Sylvan #2 

Breaking the Pattern: 

Hosting Powerful 

Conversations. 

One basic step in creating 

positive change in 

Native communities is 

having honest, productive 

conversations about both 

needs and opportunities. 

How can we move forward 

together when we 

don’t have real exchange 

of ideas, discussion of differences, 

and a process for 

new ideas to emerge 

Session Leader: Michelle DuBray, 

SDIBA Native Entrepreneur 

Investment Fund 

Presenter: David Cournoyer, 

Plain Depth Consulting 

3:15pm – 3:30pm 

Break, sponsored by First Interstate Bank, Convention Center II Foyer 

3:30pm – 5:00pm 

Breakout Sessions 

[Resources] 

Legion #1 

Collaborative Models for 

Expanding Entrepreneurship 

& Asset-Building 

Resources. 

Working in rural and remote 

areas often presents 

a challenge, as resources 

are spread far and wide. 

This session will examine 

best practices in collaboration 

that have resulted 

in furthering the reach 

of entrepreneurship and 

asset-building programs. 

Session Leader: James A. Cordry, 

Office of the Special Trustee for 

American Indians 

Presenters: Tawney Brunsch, Great 

Plains Native Asset Building 

Coalition; Krystal Langholz, 

Hunkpati Investments 

[Financing] 

Legion #2 

Alternative Financing 

Solutions. 

There is never enough 

capital in Indian Country. 

This informative 

session will demonstrate 

how to use participation 

loans, joint ventures, and 

New Markets Tax Credits 

to fund projects. 

Session Leader: Clinton Waara, 

Wells Fargo 

Presenters: Matthew Bland, 

Travois; James Crawford, Native 

Homes and Development; Taffy 

Lafferty, Native American Development 

Corporation 

[Infrastructure] 

Sylvan #1 

Preparing for New Industries 

in the New Native 

America. 

Reservation communities 

are growing, so how 

do we prepare to meet 

the demand of developing 

new business sectors 

It is essential that South 

Dakota Tribes focus now 

on building a ready and 

able workforce as well as 

creating viable business 

sectors to support future 

growth. 

Session Leader: Lakota Mowrer, 


Presenters: Rachel Lindvall, 

South Dakota State University 

Extension; Barbara Stiffarm, 

Opportunity Link; Tom Zohner, 

Job Corps 

[Governance] 

Sylvan #2 

Building Tribal Judiciary 

Systems. 

A strong independent 

tribal judiciary that 

reflects local values and 

traditions is vital to the 

success of tribal nations 

in the modern era. This 

session will examine best 

practices in the areas of 

judicial structure, law 

and order development, 

constitutional and legal 

code analysis and revision 

services, working agreements 

between jurisdictions, 

separation of business 

and governmental 

interests, and long-term 

strategic planning. 

Session Leader: Lisa Claasen, 

Small Business Administration 

Presenters: Matthew L. Rappold, 

Owl Nest Consulting; 

Mato Standing High, Owl Nest 

Consulting 




Agenda 

FRIDAY, APRIL 12, 2013 

7:30am 

7:30am – 8:30am 

8:00am – 11:30am 

8:30am – 8:45am 

8:45am – 9:00am 

9:00am – 10:30am 

10:30am – 11:00am 

11:00am – 11:15am 

11:15am – 1:00pm 


Breakfast, sponsored by Bush Foundation, Rushmore Room 


Welcome Message by David Cournoyer, Master of Ceremonies, Pactola/Sheridan Room 

Call for Membership, Pactola/Sheridan Room 

Stacey LaCompte, Secretary, South Dakota Indian Business Alliance, will share SDIBA’s planned activities and 

invite conference attendees to join the SDIBA mission with details on membership. 

Panel: Building the Framework to Implement Policy Strategies, Pactola/Sheridan Room 

Information is key to understanding any development environment, especially in determining needs and impact. 

Therefore, this panel will analyze data and information that hugely affects Indian Country development. 

Moderator: David Cournoyer 

Panelists: Tanya Fiddler, SDIBA Chairperson; Mary Beth Jager, Native Nations Institute; Lakota Mowrer, 

Four Bands Community Fund; Joy Smolnisky, South Dakota Budget & Policy Project; 

Closing Ceremony, Pactola/Sheridan Room 

Tanya Fiddler, Chair, South Dakota Indian Business Alliance, will offer conference attendees some final 

thoughts on “Building Opportunities in the New Native America.” Followed by prayer and honor song. 

Break, sponsored by Northwest Area Foundation, Convention Center II Foyer 

South Dakota Indian Business Alliance Member Meeting, Rushmore Room 

The SDIBA Executive Team, Leadership Council, and conference attendees will convene for a working lunch 

session to debrief the conference and have additional discussions on strategies for “Building Opportunities in 

the New Native America.” Lunch served at 11:45am. 

APRIL 10-12, 2013 


7

Speaker Biographies 

Logan Anderson 

Logan Anderson joined First Peoples Fund in 2012 as the Program 

Manager for Nonprofit Partnerships. She is an enrolled member of 

the Comanche Nation of Oklahoma; however, she is closely tied to 

her Mandan roots on the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota. 

Logan has worked with Native community development financial 

institutions (CDFIs) for 7 years. Her CDFI experience and knowledge 

stems from working with a grassroots, certified Native CDFI 

on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in South Dakota. Logan 

has strong working knowledge in client management and training 

facilitation, and hands-on expertise as a technical assistance provider, 

which allows her to be a successful manager of First Peoples Funds’ 

Training & Technical Assistance programs. Living most of her life in 

the California Bay Area, Logan moved to South Dakota in 2003 to 

be closer to family. 

Matthew Bland 

Matthew Bland, Asset Manager for Travois New Markets, handles 

accounts receivable and payable, prepares financial reporting, and 

coordinates financial audits for Travois New Markets and all subsidiary 

entities. Matthew graduated from Boston College with a Bachelor’s 

Degree in Art History, holds a Master’s Degree in Accounting 

from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and is a certified public 

accountant (CPA). 

Shawn Bordeaux 

Shawn Bordeaux is an enrolled member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. 

He serves as a board member for the Rosebud Economic Development 

Corporation (REDCO), the tribe’s economic development 

company, and also as a Tribal Utility Commissioner. He is a former 

Tribal Councilman, having served as Chairman of the Economic 

Development and Education Committees and was the Vice Chairman 

of the Treaty Council. He’s employed as the Economic and 

Community Development Officer for Sinte Gleska University. Mr. 

Bordeaux has held several senior level management positions in various 

tribally-owned corporations, has taught college courses on the 

Rosebud and Winnebago Reservations, and has provided consulting 

for over fifteen years and served on numerous regional and national 

boards in education, business, health and tourism. He holds degrees 

in Business Administration and a Master’s Degree in Community & 

Regional Planning from the University of Nebraka-Lincoln. He is a 

certified Economic Development Finance Professional. 

Lonnie Brewer 

The Cheyenne River Chamber of Commerce currently employs 

Lonnie Brewer as Chamber Coordinator, responsible for its dayto-day 

functions, membership recruitment, event coordination, and 

fundraising. Lonnie brings a wide range of experiences and broad 

skill set, including years of client interface, exceptional customer 

service, and strong organizational capacity, which contributes to the 

Chamber’s growth and strengthened presence on the reservation. 

He is dedicated to fulfilling the Chamber’s mission and seeing the 

organization through the incubation phase towards a thriving selfsufficient 

entity. 

Tawney Brunsch 

Tawney Brunsch is the Executive Director of Lakota Funds, the 

first-ever Native community development financial institution 

(CDFI) on a reservation. Since becoming Executive Director of 

Lakota Funds in 2010, Ms. Brunsch has led the financial institution 

through several history-making accomplishments, including: the 

charter of the Lakota Federal Credit Union, the launch of a child 

development account program, and the conversion that is currently 

underway of a low-income tax credit housing development into 

privately-owned homes, which will be the largest influx of deeded 

properties into the reservation’s real estate market. 

With a well-versed career in the financial industry, Ms. Brunsch is 

committed to revitalizing the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation’s economy 

by providing access to sound lending products paired with the 

assistance necessary for private sector development. She innovated 

a collaborative of key regional leaders in the Native asset-building 

field to form the Great Plains Native Asset Building Coalition, and 

is a member of the South Dakota Indian Business Alliance and a 

member of the Board of Directors of the Native CDFI Network. In 

addition, Ms. Brunsch serves on the Board of Directors for Mazaska 

Owecaso Otipi Financial, a Native community development financial 

institution dedicated to creating opportunities for homeownership 

on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Ms. Brunsch received her Bachelor’s 

Degree in Commercial Economics from South Dakota State University 

and is certified as a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Preparer. 

Kevin D. Buckles 

Born and raised on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, Kevin D. 

Buckles is an enrolled member of the Assiniboine Tribe. For the 

past seven years he has been working diligently in Indian Country to 

address the high unemployment rate that has been a way of life for 

Native America for over fifty years. Kevin was the first-ever Native 

American elected to serve as mayor of the town of Poplar, Montana, 

and served on various boards within the community. 

Kevin began working with the national Tribal Employment Rights 

Office (TERO) to implement the Native Construction Careers Initiative, 

which had its first success on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. 

In 2010 he established Native American Construction Training 

Management (NACTM). Since then he has created permanent jobs 

for over 100 tribal members from various tribes. Kevin has come 

full circle and is now working again as the Fort Peck Tribe’s TERO 


Director. He hopes to bring his experience and expertise back to his 

tribe in an effort prepare workers to meet the needs of the industries, 

to get ahead of the upcoming oil boom, and rebrand the image 

of TERO. 

Shawn Burke 

Shawn Burke is the Program Leader for South Dakota State University 

(SDSU) Extension Native American Programs, and is the 

Project Director for three grants that fund Extension offices on 

Cheyenne River, Pine Ridge, and Rosebud Reservations. Shawn 

has worked for SDSU Extension for nine years, beginning as the Agriculture 

and Youth Outreach Educator for Pine Ridge Reservation. 

He is a graduate of the University of South Dakota and has experience 

in education, natural resources management, and community 

development in four countries. 

Sandy Burns 

Sandy Burns has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemical and Petroleum 

Refining Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines, 

and owns Project Solutions Inc., a project management company. 

Project Solutions Inc. was started in 2000 and now manages 19 

projects and employs 36 people throughout the US and Italy. Some 

of the projects include the Small Business Administration (SBA) 7j 

Consulting and the South Dakota Department of Transportation’s 

Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program. She assists 

women and minorities in bidding for contracts with the government 

and in running successful businesses. She has presented many workshops 

on the reservations and cities in South Dakota, Wyoming, and 

Montana. Sandy won the SBA Minority Small Business Champion 

of the Year Award for South Dakota in 2011. 

Danny Butcher 

Danny Butcher is the Business Success Coach at Four Bands and 

provides outreach, coaching, and technical assistance to promote 

entrepreneurship and small business development in all communities 

on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation. He graduated Tiospaye 

Topa High School, is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Business 

Administration, and plans to achieve his Masters in Lakota Studies. 

Danny’s passion for business development led him to a finalist position 

in the 2011 South Dakota Governor’s Giant Vision Business 

Competition. In addition to his role at Four Bands, Danny is the 

owner of Rez Kid Studios, an art company that specializes in tattoos, 

graphics, murals, canvas paintings, photography, and apparel. 

Danny is an enrolled full blood member of the Cheyenne River 

Sioux Tribe. Danny was born in Rapid City and raised in the communities 

of Eagle Butte and La Plant, South Dakota. 

Ruth Christopherson 

Ruth Christopherson is the Director for Community Development 

and a Senior Vice President with Citibank. Ruth is a 15 year veteran 

of Citi, holding a variety of positions including Financial Controller 

for Citi Global Technology, Vice President of Operations for the 

Student Loan Corporation, and Managing Director of Mortgage 

Originations for CitiMortgage in St Louis. She returned to South 

Dakota and assumed the role of State Director for Community 

Development in October of 2009. 

Ruth was a member of the South Dakota Air National Guard with 

over 30 years of service, culminating in attaining the rank of Colonel, 

and holding the position of Chief of Staff for the South Dakota 

Air National Guard prior to her retirement in 2008. Ruth is an 

Adjunct Professor and received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees 

in Business Administration from the University of South Dakota. 

She currently serves as a director on five community boards as well 

as serving in numerous other volunteer activities. Ruth and her husband 

Reid reside on an acreage near Garretson, South Dakota. They 

have two grown children. 

Lisa Claasen 

As Business Development Specialist for the South Dakota District 

Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration, Lisa Claassen 

is responsible for 8(a) Business Development duties, including 

HubZone and Native American Affairs, and is also the Administration 

Division point of contact. She has been with the Agency for 

22 years, and since 2000, has been working with the 8(a) Business 

Development Program. 

James A. Cordry 

James A. Cordry is an enrolled member of the Rosebud Sioux 

Tribe. He is a graduate of the University of South Dakota, having 

attended the University of South Dakota School of Fine Arts and 

the University of South Dakota School of Business. From 1983 to 

2004, Mr. Cordry was a Registered Investment Advisor and Financial 

Advisor in the Kansas City metropolitan area, specializing in tax 

advantaged investments, fixed income, and management of equity 

portfolios. During that time he hosted a weekly call-in radio talk 

program, featuring investment talk of the day, and interviewing 

notable investment professionals from around the country. Since 

2004, Mr. Cordry has held the position of Fiduciary Trust Officer 

for the Rosebud Agency, Office of the Special Trustee for American 

Indians. 

David Cournoyer 

David Cournoyer has worked in a variety of roles for over 25 years: 

the news media, communications, and the nonprofit sector, focusing 

his professional and personal work in support of vulnerable children 

and communities. An enrolled member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, 

David is especially passionate about “connecting the dots” across 

Indian Country by helping connect people, ideas, and resources in 

order to build stronger Native American communities. He has more 

than 17 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, at national foundations 

and nonprofit organizations. At the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, 

he provided communications support to youth and education 

initiatives including the Native American Higher Education Initiative. 

In 2005, he became a program director at Lumina Foundation 

for Education, helping lead the national KnowHow2GO Campaign 

to show low-income students the steps to get ready for college. David 

chaired the board of Native Americans in Philanthropy for four 

years, and previously worked at the American Indian College Fund 

to publicize how tribal colleges are effective by blending academics 

and tribal culture. His tribe’s college is named for his great-grandfather, 

Sinte Gleska. 

APRIL 10-12, 2013 


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Today, he works as an independent consultant for nonprofit, tribal, 

and state government entities, typically addressing early childhood, 

education, and community development initiatives. Early in 

his career, David was a television journalist, working for local TV 

stations in Albuquerque and Minneapolis. He later was the Denver 

correspondent for Fox News Channel, covering the Oklahoma City 

bombing trials. In his volunteer work in 2011, David was appointed 

by the Minnesota governor to serve on Minnesota’s Early Learning 

Council. He also serves on the boards of the First Peoples Fund and 

the Native Youth Leadership Alliance. He and his family live in St. 

Paul, Minnesota. 

James “JC” Crawford 

In June of 2009 JC started working for Superior Homes, LLC in 

Watertown, South Dakota, where he was hired to develop the Native 

American Sales Division. As their newly hired Vice-President of 

Tribal Sales, James led Superior Homes in an expansion that reached 

out to tribes in the Great Plains Region and to the First Nations of 

Canada, as their primary market. 

After the first year of developing the Native American Sales Division, 

Superior Homes created a joint venture company. That newly 

created company was called Native Homes and Development, 

LLC. With this partnership, Native Homes was created to reach 

out to tribes and First Nations to meet their specific construction 

needs. Along with the partnership, James bring years of networking 

relationships from a wide range of tribal fields that include: tribal finance, 

taxation, gaming, economic development, retail development, 

and tribal government. 

Michelle DuBray 

Michelle has over 25 years of experience working in the nonprofit 

field. Most recently she has been contracted as the Coordinator of 

the South Dakota Indian Business Alliance (SDIBA). Michelle is an 

enrolled member of the Mandan Hidatsa Arikara Nation of North 

Dakota. She established her consulting firm, Pinto Horse Woman 

Consulting, in 1997 and has enjoyed working for several Native nonprofits 

that have a community development focus. She makes her 

home on a buffalo ranch along the Missouri River on the Cheyenne 

River Sioux Reservation. 

Michelle was selected for the first cohort of the Bush Foundation’s 

Native Nations Rebuilders Program in 2010. She currently serves on 

the Board of Directors and Advisory Council of the Native Youth 

Leadership Alliance and on the Leadership Council of the South 

Dakota Indian Business Alliance. In 2012, Michelle was appointed to 

the South Dakota Commission of National and Community Service 

by Governor Daugaard. 

Zach Ducheneaux 

Zach Ducheneaux is a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe 

in north central South Dakota. He grew up ranching on the Cheyenne 

River Sioux Reservation. He and his family raise beef cattle 

and Quarter Horses. He started ranching on his own in 1993 with 

the assistance of a Bureau of Indian Affairs Economic Development 

Grant. Shortly after this, Zach was elected to serve on the 

Tribal Council on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation. During 

his term there he was appointed by the tribe to be the delegate to 

the Intertribal Agriculture Council, and was subsequently elected 

Secretary of the Board of Directors. Zach is currently the Program 

Manager for the Intertribal Agriculture Council’s Tribal Technical 

Assistance Network. 

Vincent T. DuPris 

Vincent T. DuPris, member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, has 

been working with the Office of the Special Trustee for American 

Indians, Department of Interior, as an Accounting Technician since 

2006. In this role Mr. DuPris works with Individual Indian Money 

account holders to help them in all areas of trust, from distributing 

account balances to land sales. In addition, Mr. Dupris owns and 

operates a family business, The Oriental Express, with his wife and 

children. His business has grown over the years and now serves large 

powwows on the Pine Ridge, Rosebud, and Cheyenne River Reservations. 

Tanya Fiddler 

Tanya Fiddler is the Executive Director of Four Bands Community 

Fund, a Native community development financial institution (CDFI) 

focused on entrepreneurship and financial literacy development 

on the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation, located in north 

central South Dakota. Tanya, an enrolled member of the Cheyenne 

River Sioux Tribe, has served as Executive Director of Four Bands 

since 2002, and has built the organization from the start-up phase 

into a successful, innovative, and award-winning organization. She 

holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Interdisciplinary Sciences 

from South Dakota School of Mines & Technology and has 15 

years of experience working with Native organizations. Tanya is the 

recipient of several prestigious awards including the 2008 Bureau 

of Indian Affairs “Entrepreneur Advocate of the Year,” the 2007 

Small Business Administration “Minority Small Business Champion 

for South Dakota and Region VIII,” and the 2007 “Visionary Leader 

Award for Outstanding Achievement,” in recognition of her impact 

in the CDFI field. She received a Fellowship in the Aspen Institute’s 

Ideas Festival in 2008 and has been an active voice in Native community 

and economic development. 

In addition to her role at Four Bands, Tanya is also the Board Chair 

for the Native CDFI Network and the Chair of the South Dakota 

Indian Business Alliance. Tanya serves on the Board of Directors 

for Mazaska Owecaso Otipi Financial and the Corporation for 

Enterprise Development. Ms. Fiddler was recently appointed by 

President Obama to the Community Development Advisory Board. 

She is a frequent speaker and workshop facilitator at regional and 

national conferences. Tanya values her family and the beautiful 

outdoors. 

Kadem Fisher 

Kadem Fisher is a Success Coach Specialist for Lakota Funds. He 

has certificates of completion in Weaving Your Financial Future from 

South Dakota State University; Building Native Communities: Financial 

Skills for Families from First Nations Oweesta Corporation; and credit 

coaching. Currently, Kadem is taking an on-line class called “Native 


American Credit Counseling Certification,” through Association for 

Financial Counseling Planning Education to become an accredited 

financial counselor. Prior to coming to Lakota Funds, Kadem was a 

General Contractor, remodeling and rebuilding reservation housing 

on various reservations. He also has worked as a Sales Representative/Market 

Promotions Coordinator for U.S.S.T.C. which gives him 

a creative edge in assisting local commerce. Kadem is an enrolled 

member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and has lived on the Pine Ridge 

Reservation for his entire life. 

Mark Ford 

Mark originally is from Alamosa, Colorado, and is of Chiricahua 

Apache and Spanish descent. Mark spent 17 years as a Roman 

Catholic priest. After assisting persons with disabilities following 

Hurricane Katrina, he was appointed by Governor Bobby Jindal as 

the Executive Director of the Governor’s Office of Indian Affairs 

in 2008, assisting tribes after Hurricanes Gustav and Ike. Seeking a 

change of career outside church and state politics, Mark moved to 

South Dakota and began working as the Collaboration and Training 

Coordinator at National Relief Charities in November 2010. Mark’s 

training/teaching experience includes: training of church leaders, 

intercultural communication workshops, animal spirit medicine, 

youth leadership development, emergency preparedness and disaster 

recovery for tribal communities, and the spirituality of storytelling 

and drumming. Mark also has spoken at a number of regional and 

national conferences. 

Jason Gant 

Jason grew up in Geddes, South Dakota, and is a fifth generation 

family-farmer. He attended the University of South Dakota where 

he received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science with 

a Minor in Business Administration. After graduation, Jason began 

working for a health insurance company, and eventually started his 

own healthcare consulting business in Sioux Falls. 

Jason’s political career began in 2004 when he was elected to the South 

Dakota State Senate, where he served until 2010. During this period 

Jason sponsored many bills related to the Secretary of State’s office. 

Jason was elected South Dakota’s 27th Secretary of State in November 

of 2010. His time in office has been marked by several technology 

initiatives to help better provide information to the public and 

allow the online filing of documents. Jason also serves as Co-Chair 

for the Business Services Committee and Elections Committee of 

the National Association of Secretaries of State. 

Sandy Gerber 

Sandy Gerber is a Senior Project Manager in the Community 

Development Department at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. 

Her work has included participating in the creation and 

growth of multi-sector Indian Business Alliances in South Dakota 

and Wisconsin; coordinating multi-agency efforts to increase small 

business lending in low- and moderate-income communities in the 

ninth Federal Reserve district; conducting field research on Montana’s 

Blackfeet reservation as part of a national study and report on 

concentrated poverty; and training banks and community organizations 

in the Community Reinvestment Act. Prior to her work 

with the Federal Reserve, she was a field researcher for Manpower 

Demonstration Research Corporation (MDRC) on a national pilot 

program to increase employment levels in public housing projects, 

a program officer with the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota, a 

project specialist for a racial inclusiveness initiative at the Greater 

Twin Cities United Way, and the director of an inner-city community 

mediation program in North Minneapolis. Sandy was a recipient 

of a Bush Foundation Leadership Fellowship, which she utilized to 

obtain a Masters Degree in public administration at the John F. Kennedy 

School of Government at Harvard University. Sandy has been 

dedicated to community development in low- and moderate-income 

communities, and to multicultural participation, throughout her life 

and work. 

DelRay D. German 

DelRay German is the Director of the Sisseton Wahpeton Tribal 

Employment Rights Office. An expert with more than 18 years of 

successful experience in Indian preference and tribal employment 

rights law and Indian business development collaboration, DelRay 

German has a proven ability to foster relationships between Indian 

and non-Indian businesses operating in Indian Country. DelRay is 

a strong believer in building opportunities for tribal members and 

Native-owned businesses and working to build a thriving indigenous 

economy. 

Mr. German began his career in tribal government after serving in 

the United States Marine Corps. He has worked in the tribal employment 

rights arena since 1994, and has worked to build strong Nativeowned 

businesses through equitable negotiations and partnerships. 

He has also worked in the areas of employee retention, recruitment, 

competitive compensation survey, and career path training. DelRay 

has helped contractors in both the residential and commercial construction 

industries maximize their opportunities under TERO law. 

Cora Mae Haskell 

Cora Mae Haskell is the Asset Development Coordinator at Four 

Bands. In this role, she provides outreach, coaching, and technical 

assistance to promote financial literacy and credit-building to help 

residents of Cheyenne River Indian Reservation to access financial 

products and services. She holds a Master’s Degree in Education 

and Curriculum and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Education 

from Black Hills State University, and is a certified trainer for Fannie 

Mae/First Nation’s Financial Skillbuilding for Families coursework. 

Since joining Four Bands in 2003, Cora Mae has conducted business 

development and financial literacy workshops for hundreds of 

people and has been instrumental in establishing the Individual Development 

Account program. Prior to that, Cora Mae was Dean of 

Academics at the former Si Tanka/Huron University and has accumulated 

more than 20 years of teaching experience on the reservation. 

She has served as Co-chair of the Native Financial Education 

Coalition and is a former board member of the Eagle Butte District 

20-1 school system. Cora Mae was named the 2008 Outstanding Entrepreneurship 

Educator by the Consortium for Entrepreneurship 

Education for her outstanding service to the field of entrepreneurship. 

She has been the religious coordinator for grades K-9 at the All 

Saints Catholic Church in Eagle Butte, South Dakota for 10 years. 

APRIL 10-12, 2013 


11

Traci Hanson 

Traci Hanson is an Audit Senior Manager with Ketel Thorstenson, 

LLP. Traci graduated in 2001 from Black Hills State University in 

Spearfish, South Dakota with a Bachelor’s Degree in Professional 

Accountancy and Business Administration. She works primarily 

on not-for-profit, governmental, and compliance audits. She is a 

member of the American Institute of CPAs and the South Dakota 

CPA Society. 

Veronica Hix 

Veronica Hix (Cherokee) is ONABEN’s Executive Director. Previously, 

she was the Entrepreneur Development Manager for the Small 

Business Assistance Center in Oklahoma. An advocate for small 

business creation and economic development, Veronica was named 

the Minority Business Advocate of the Year by the Native American 

Business Enterprise Center, a facet of the Minority Business 

Development Agency. With a background in marketing and public 

relations, Veronica works to create opportunities for Indian-owned 

businesses to grow and prosper. Over the course of the last year, Veronica 

has assisted more than 250 aspiring entrepreneurs and small 

business owners in workshop settings, and has created a network 

of opportunities designed to enhance business development within 

Indian Country. 

Karlene Hunter 

Karlene Hunter is CEO and co-founder of Native American Natural 

Foods. A member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, Ms. Hunter has more 

than 32 years of experience working on educational and economic 

development on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, where 

Native American Natural Foods is based. The Kyle, South Dakota, 

company, founded with her longtime business partner Mark Tilsen, 

is the second business Ms. Hunter has started on the reservation. 

In 1996, Ms. Hunter and Mr. Tilsen created Lakota Express, a direct 

marketing and customer care management company focused primarily 

on fundraising for nonprofit organizations. In 2005, Ms. Hunter 

and Mr. Tilsen created Native American Natural Foods, a company 

devoted to the establishment of the first Native American national 

branded line of natural meat and fruit snacks. The company’s line of 

Tanka buffalo products has since grown to more than 4,000 retailers 

nationwide and has created more than 20 jobs on the reservation. 

Tanka Bars, the company’s signature product, is now the number one 

selling natural meat snack in the United States, according to SPINS, 

the natural food industry’s top retail measurement service. 

Well-known throughout the Native American community for her 

local and national service record, Ms. Hunter serves on the Board 

of Directors of the National Center for American Indian Enterprise 

Development. She has also served on the Board of Directors for 

the Native American Rights Fund, the National Indian Business Association, 

Dakota’s America LLC, and the Pine Ridge Area Chamber 

of Commerce. 

Ms. Hunter, who holds an MBA from Oglala Lakota College, has 

received numerous awards, including the 2011 Social Venture Network 

Innovation Award, the Natural Foods Industry’s prestigious 

2010 Cliff Adler ‘Heart in Business’ Award, and the 2007 SBA Small 

Business Woman of the Year for South Dakota. Recognized in 2003 

as one of the 100 Best Minority Suppliers by the Minority Business 

Network, Ms. Hunter received the National Director’s Pioneer 

Award in 2006. 

Marcella Hurley 

As Regional Director of the Small Business Development Center in 

Pierre, South Dakota, Marcella Hurley serves business clients in a 

fourteen-county area in Central South Dakota. She serves as Lead 

for the Small Business Development Center of Excellence for Native 

Entrepreneurship and is a member of the South Dakota Indian 

Business Alliance Leadership Committee. Marcella has also served 

as budget analyst for the University of South Dakota School of 

Medicine, senior planner for University of Nebraska Medical Center, 

manager of the South Dakota Housing Authority Homeownership 

Program, partner in a real estate mortgage company, and commercial 

banking branch manager. Ms. Hurley graduated from the University 

of South Dakota with an MBA. She is a member of the National 

Small Business Association and is a Certified Economic Development 

Finance Professional. 

Sandra K. Isburg 

Sandra K. Isburg is an enrolled member of the Crow Creek Sioux 

Tribe. She attended the Crow Creek Tribal Schools and graduated 

from Chamberlain High School and from Augustana University 

in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Since she moved back to the Crow 

Creek Reservation in 1993, she has been an advocate for new 

Native-owned businesses on her reservation. She has served on the 

boards of Harvest Initiative Inc. and Hunkpati Investments, Inc. 

since their inception. She currently serves as Board President for 

Hunkpati Investments, Inc. She is a co-owner and the CEO of 

Shelby’s LLC and General Manager of Shelby’s Minimart in Fort 

Thompson, South Dakota. 

Mary Beth Jäger 

Mary Beth Jäger (Citizen Potawatomi) is a Research Analyst for the 

Native Nations Institute for Leadership, Management, and Policy at 

the University of Arizona. Mary Beth earned her Bachelor of Arts 

at Carroll College and a Master’s of Social Work from Washington 

University in St. Louis, with an emphasis on Social and Economic 

Development in American Indian Communities. While in school 

Mary Beth participated in the Washington Internship program for 

Native Students and interned in the Food Distribution Policy Branch 

at the USDA. Also, she was a Kathryn M. Buder Center for American 

Indian Studies Scholar and research assistant for the Center for 

Social Development. 

Mary Beth is interested in applied research on institutional change 

in Indigenous communities. She has researched policies to promote 

saving for post-secondary education in American Indian communities, 

reviewed Healthy Eating and Active Living policies in Indian 

Country, and conducted empirical legal research on federal Indian 

law topics. 


Michael B. Jandreau 

Michael B. Jandreau is the Chairman of the Lower Brule Sioux 

Tribe. He is a successful rancher on the reservation. He also serves 

on the tribal council. He began in 1972 as Vice-Chairman. He has 

been Tribal Chairman for more than thirty years. He started many 

of the tribe’s projects. Today the tribe’s farm corporation is the number 

one grower of popcorn in the world. It also grows navy beans. 

Jandreau also guides other programs for the tribe. Some of them are 

the Lower Brule Wildlife Program and the Golden Buffalo Casino. 

Stacey Johnston 

Stacey Johnston, a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, is currently a 

Loan Specialist at the Bureau of Indian Affairs and has held this position 

since 1989. Prior to his position as Loan Specialist, he served 

as an Agricultural Economist for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in 

Aberdeen, South Dakota, from 1987 - 1989. In addition, he has four 

years of experience in the private lending industry. Mr. Johnston 

received his Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from South Dakota 

State University. 

Alison Kiesz 

Alison Kiesz is the Ag Business Development Specialist for the 

South Dakota Department of Agriculture. Her work focuses on 

local foods and farmers markets but also includes exporting and 

international trade. She also helps plan many events for the department 

including the State Fair Wine Pavilion, the South Dakota Local 

Foods Conference and the Governor’s Ag Development Summit. 

She grew up on a family farm and custom harvesting operation near 

Brandt, South Dakota. She received a Bachelor of Science Degree in 

Agronomy and Ag Journalism from South Dakota State University 

and currently lives near Aberdeen. 

Mary Killsahundred 

Originally from Flandreau, South Dakota, where she is a member of 

the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe, Mary Killsahundred began taking 

classes at South Dakota State University in 2002. After a few years 

and many changes in majors while pursuing her undergraduate degree, 

Mary finally discovered her interest in Sociology and obtained 

her Bachelor’s in 2007. Almost immediately, she went to work for 

the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe newspaper and printing press. By 

2011, she decided she had taken a long enough break from school 

and went through the process of reentering academia. Currently, 

Mary works as a Graduate Research Assistant in the Sociology Department 

at South Dakota State University (SDSU). Currently working 

towards completing her Master’s Degree, she also works in the 

Rural Life and Data Center collecting and analyzing demographic 

data for the state. Besides her work at SDSU, she also serves on the 

Flandreau Santee Sioux Higher Education Committee. 

Sam Kooiker 

Sam Kooiker began his public service as part of the Rapid City 

Planning Commission from 2001-2002. Sam was elected to the 

Rapid City Common Council in 2002 and represented Ward 2 until 

he was elected Mayor of Rapid City in 2011. 

Sam was raised near Boyden, Iowa, a small Northwest Iowa town 

famous only for its zip code--51234. Sam is the oldest of four 

children. Sam graduated from the University of South Dakota with 

a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice. He graduated with his Master’s 

Degree in Public Administration in 1998. Before being elected 

Mayor, Sam worked as an operations manager for a telecommunications 

business in Rapid City. 

It was while at the University of South Dakota that Sam met his 

wife, Jennifer, who is the daughter of Wayne and Bonnie King from 

Lead, SD. The Kings owned King’s Grocery/Pasties in Lead for 

many years. Jennifer works as a Dental Hygienist in Rapid City. Sam 

and Jennifer are the parents of three daughters, Abbie, Aubrie and 

Ellie. 

Stacey LaCompte 

Stacey LaCompte, enrolled member of the Standing Rock Sioux 

Tribe and born and raised on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation 

the majority of her life, is the Executive Director of the Wakpa Sica 

Historical Society, Inc. / Reconciliation Place located in Fort Pierre, 

South Dakota. Ms. LaCompte was first employed with Wakpa Sica 

in 2002 as the Executive Assistant and was promoted to Executive 

Director in 2003. Prior to working with Wakpa Sica, Ms. LaCompte 

was employed at the City of Fort Pierre as the Administrative Assistant. 

For 13 years, Ms. LaCompte dedicated her life to caring and 

educating others by working with the Teton Ambulance Service on 

the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation as the Secretary, Emergency 

Medical Technician, Emergency Medical Dispatcher, and CPR / 

First Responder Instructor. In 1988, she was nominated as “E.M.T. 

of the Year”, and in 1992, won the National Indian School Board 

Associations “Parent of the Year” award. Ms. LaCompte has served 

on several committees and boards – City of Fort Pierre Board of 

Adjustments and Appeals, Fort Pierre Volunteer Fire Department 

Auxiliary, Law Enforcement Auxiliary, Fort Pierre Legion Auxiliary, 

and South Dakota Indian Business Alliance. She is a member of 

the first cohort of Native Nation Rebuilders selected by the Bush 

Foundation in 2010. 

Leroy “J.R.” LaPlante 

LaPlante, an enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, is 

a practicing attorney in Vermillion and serves as the Chief Judge and 

court Administrator for the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe in Ft. Thompson. 

In both his law practice and his work, LaPlante has focused on 

serving the Native American community. He was the former Administrative 

Officer for the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and has an 

extensive background working for Native American human service 

organizations. He is a member of the first cohort of Native Nation 

Rebuilders selected by the Bush Foundation in 2010 and served 

as an Equal Justice Works, AmeriCorps Legal Fellow with South 

Dakota Access to Justice in 2009. LaPlante’s Lakota name is Tasunke 

Waste, which means His Horse is Beautiful. 

Krystal Langholz 

Ms. Langholz earned her Master’s Degree Summa Cum Laude from 

Colorado State University. While earning her MA in Anthropology 

and International Community Development, she specialized in 

Lakota community development and microlending. Ms. Langholz 

APRIL 10-12, 2013 


13

serves on the Executive Board of the South Dakota Indian Business 

Alliance (SDIBA) and the Advisory Council of the Northern 

Plains Initiative. She also maintains several professional memberships, 

including membership to the High Plains Society for Applied 

Anthropology. Before her time at Colorado State University, she 

did her undergraduate degree at Luther College, a highly respected 

liberal arts college in Decorah, Iowa, double majoring in religion 

and anthropology. Ms. Langholz has worked with and served many 

nonprofits in various capacities, including Habitat for Humanity, 

Northeast Iowa Community Action, and the Camp Fire Boys and 

Girls Club. 

Dona Leavens 

Dona Leavens began working with the West River Business Service 

Center in 2002 as a consultant and was appointed Regional Director 

of West River Small Business Development Center in 2005. In 

this position she counsels new business startups, existing businesses 

needing to grow or expand or change their operations in other ways 

and a myriad of related business needs to the community. Ms. Leavens 

also works closely with the banks, the Small Business Administration, 

the State of South Dakota, and micro lending agencies and 

foundations that provide funding to small businesses. Dona holds a 

Bachelor’s Degree in Managerial Accounting and NDC Certification 

as Economic Development Finance Professional. 

Terry Lee 

As a Community Affairs Specialist (CAS) for the Federal Deposit 

Insurance Corporation’s (FDIC’s) Division of Depositor and Consumer 

Protection, Terry A. Lee is responsible for convening banks, 

nonprofits, and other stakeholders to identify community development 

opportunities through appropriate outreach events in North 

Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, and the St. Louis metro. These 

outreach events center around strategies that promote eligible opportunities 

responsive to the credit, service and investment needs of 

communities. 

Mr. Lee serves as a point of contact and information exchange 

between the public, the financial industry, and other FDIC divisions 

and offices to share knowledge of activities, and resolve issues, 

related to the Community Reinvestment Act, fair lending, community 

development, consumer protection laws and regulations, and 

program initiatives. Prior to Lee’s current position, he served as an 

Assistant Compliance Bank Examiner for the Sioux Falls, South 

Dakota Field Office. 

Rachel Lindvall 

Rachel Lindvall has been involved in community development 

on the Rosebud Reservation since 1986 - first with Sinte Gleska 

University (SGU) as a Vocational Educator for Forestry and Natural 

Resource Management; followed by a long stint as SGU’s Director 

of Library Services and most recently, from 2010, in the role 

of Community Development Field Specialist for SDSU’s Rosebud 

Federally Recognized Tribal Extension Program, headquartered in 

Mission, South Dakota. Under this program, Rachel works with entrepreneurs 

and producers in local foods/agriculture, tourism, arts, 

and service sectors. This past summer she completed certification to 

teach ONABEN’s Indianpreneurship Program and is also involved 

with developing workforce readiness programming for youth and 

adults. Rachel completed her undergraduate degree in Wildlife 

Science from the University of Wisconsin. She studied secondary 

science teacher education at the Master’s level from CW Post College. 

While working at the SGU Library, she studied for her Master 

of Library Science degree in an online program from Southern Connecticut 

State University. 

Peggy Martin 

Peggy Martin is the owner of Green Thumb Web Designs and Cedar 

Creek Gardens LLC. Starting her entrepreneur journey at age 10, 

she has owned several small businesses - some successful, some not - 

and has learned new things with each and every one. In late 1996 Ms. 

Martin became a Contract Computer Trainer with the State of South 

Dakota. Since then, Peggy has acquired skills in computer training, 

networking, web design, online marketing, and social media. 

In addition, she is a co-owner of Cedar Creek Gardens LLC, which 

sells farm fresh produce and eggs, jams, jellies, and salsa at local 

farmers markets and various retail locations. 

Michael Martinez 

Michael Martinez is the Western District Community Affairs Officer 

for the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). Michael 

came to the OCC with over 25 years of experience in CRA and 

Community Development work. Prior to joining the OCC Michael 

was the Community Development Director for Vectra Bank Colorado 

where he developed and managed the CRA department for 

9 years. Michael was also a management consultant for nine years 

with Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation (dba NeighborWorks 

America) providing technical assistance on neighborhood revitalization, 

community development and organizational issues for non 

profit agencies. Michael holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science 

and a Master’s Degree in Urban and Regional Planning both from 

the University of Colorado. 

Mike McCurry 

South Dakota’s State Demographer grew up in the rural west, and 

has been lucky enough to work professionally while living rural. He 

completed his Bachelor of Science from Montana State University 

in 1976, and went to work doing snow surveys to predict runoff 

for hydroelectric power generation and flood control – and insists 

that there’s not much difference between calculations for hydrology 

and demography. Mike has worked for both the Soil Conservation 

Service and the Forest Service, and taught at Trinidad State Junior 

College and Flathead Valley Community College before moving to 

Montana State University’s Extension Service, and then to South Dakota 

State University (SDSU) – leaving Extension to become State 

Demographer – which he feels is like being a very specialized county 

agent in a very large county. He received his Master’s from Northern 

Montana College, and earned his Ph.D. while working for Extension 

at SDSU. 

Elsie Meeks 

Elsie Meeks was named State Director of the USDA Rural Development 

in South Dakota by the Obama Administration on July 27, 


2009. In this capacity, she coordinates the efforts of 72 employees 

to work with others to ensure use of resources and 40 + programs 

are serving rural South Dakota residents. Ms. Meeks has over 20 

years experience working to promote economic and community 

development. She was previously the President/CEO of First Nations 

Oweesta Corporation and the founding Executive Director 

of Lakota Funds, the first certified Native community development 

financial institution on a reservation. Through her leadership, communities 

and rural residents will have the opportunity to develop 

and grow while also improving their quality of life. 

She has served on several boards, including the Lakota Funds, 

Corporation for Enterprise Development, Council on Foundations, 

and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Partnership for Housing. She was also an 

International Advisory Council member of Native Nations Institute 

and on the Board of Governors for the Honoring Nations program 

of the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development. 

Ms. Meeks was the first Native American to serve on the U.S. 

Commission on Civil Rights where she completed a six-year term. 

Ms. Meeks currently sits on the board of the Northwest Area Foundation. 

She and her husband, Jim, make their home on their ranch 

near Kyle, South Dakota on the Pine Ridge Reservation. 

Lakota Mowrer 

Lakota Mowrer is the Assistant Director at Four Bands. In this role, 

Lakota supports the leadership of Four Bands’ Executive Director, 

establishes new and fosters existing partnerships, and leads and 

manages efforts to reach organizational goals. Lakota is an enrolled 

member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. She graduated from the 

University of Notre Dame with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology. 

Upon graduation, she joined Teach for America and taught 

on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation at Todd County High School. 

Lakota obtained her Masters in Social Work Degree from Washington 

University in St. Louis with the Kathryn M. Buder Center for 

American Indian Studies. Lakota individualized her course of study 

to concentrate in economic security and social development through 

the life course of American Indians. In addition to her educational 

experience, Lakota has completed a summer fellowship with National 

Congress of American Indians. She has served on the Native 

American Alumni Board of Directors at the University of Notre 

Dame. Lakota initiated program evaluations at the Consortium for 

Graduate Study in Management and Washington Internships for Native 

Students to develop program components for American Indian 

participants. 

Doug O’Brien 

Doug O’Brien J.D., LL.M., was appointed Deputy Under Secretary 

for USDA Rural Development on August 1, 2011. Prior to his appointment, 

O’Brien served as a Senior Advisor to Secretary Tom 

Vilsack and Chief of Staff to Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan. 

Before joining the United States Department of Agriculture, 

O’Brien served as the Assistant Director at the Ohio Department of 

Agriculture. In this capacity, he assisted the Director in administering 

the day-to-day operations of that department in such areas as 

plant industries, animal health, and its laboratories. In addition, he 

was responsible for developing the department’s biofuels, bioproducts 

and renewable energy policy efforts. O’Brien has also served as 

Senior Advisor to Iowa Governor Chet Culver, Interim Co-Director 

for the National Agricultural Law Center in Fayetteville, Ark., and 

Senior Staff Attorney at the Drake Agricultural Law Center in Des 

Moines, Iowa. 

He is former counsel for the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee, 

where he worked on the 2002 Farm Bill, livestock marketing, concentration, 

agricultural credit, and cooperative issues. He also served 

as Legislative Assistant for Representative Leonard Boswell, focusing 

primarily on Rep. Boswell’s work on the House Agriculture Committee, 

and as a Clerk for Justice Jerry Larson of the Iowa Supreme 

Court. O’Brien graduated from Loras College and earned a Juris 

Doctorate with honors from the University of Iowa. In addition, he 

holds a Master’s Degree in Agricultural Law from the University of 

Arkansas. 

Jacqueline Pata 

Jacqueline Pata is the Executive Director of National Congress for 

American Indians (NCAI). She is a member of the Raven/Sockeye 

Clan of the Tlingit Tribe (pronounced – Kling-get) and a member 

of the Central Council of the Tlingit-Haida Indian tribes of Alaska. 

Mrs. Pata was the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Native American 

Programs of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 

(HUD) during the Clinton Administration. 

Mrs. Pata serves on a variety of national executive boards, including 

the Executive Board for the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights 

and the Executive Board for the George Gustave Heye Center of 

the National Museum of the American Indian. She is also a board 

member of Sealaska Corporation, an Alaska Native regional corporation. 

In her commitment to American Indian youth development, 

Pata sits on the Native American Advisory Council for the Boys and 

Girls Clubs of America. 

Prior to joining NCAI in June 2001, Pata served as Deputy Assistant 

Secretary for Native American Programs of the U.S. Department of 

Housing and Urban Development. The Office of Native American 

Programs (ONAP) administers programs throughout the United 

States, which provide affordable housing for Native Americans. 

Previously, Pata served as the Executive Director of the Tlingit-Haida 

Regional Housing Authority headquartered in Juneau, Alaska and 

she is a former Vice-Chair of the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation. 

She served as Chairperson of the National American Indian 

Housing Council and was appointed to the National Commission on 

American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Housing. She 

also has served on the National Community Development Financial 

Institution Fund Advisory Board, an advisory board to the U.S. 

Department of the Treasury. 

Doug Patton 

Doug Patton currently serves as the Business Success Coach/Youth 

Involvement Specialist at Lakota Funds. In this capacity, he works 

with clients and teaches financial literacy, business, and homebuyer 

education classes. He is certified in Core Four, Building Native Communities, 

Indianprenuership, and Pathways Home curricula. Doug was 

APRIL 10-12, 2013 


15

orn and raised in Pine Ridge, South Dakota, and graduated from 

Red Cloud High School in 1992. After graduating high school, he 

moved forty miles north east of Pine Ridge on the southern edge 

of Badlands National Park, where he currently lives on family land. 

He graduated from Oglala Lakota College in 2007 with a Bachelor’s 

Degree in Lakota Studies and a teaching certification in Lakota Language. 

Prior to coming to Lakota Funds, he worked as a GED tutor 

and as an alcohol/drug counselor. Doug currently sits on the Board 

of Directors for Tusweca Tiospaye Inc., a nonprofit organization 

that promotes Lakota language and cultural revitalization on the Pine 

Ridge Indian Reservation. 

Madonna Peltier Yawakie 

Madonna is the President and CEO of Turtle Island Communications, 

Inc. (TICOM). TICOM is an American Indian owned firm 

that provides telecommunication engineering and technical consulting 

services. TICOM has provided wireline and wireless system 

design and implementation services for numerous tribal and federal 

clients. She has contributed to federal telecommunication policy 

development on tribal lands and has testified on client telecommunication 

issues to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. She is 

currently Co-Chair of the Minnesota Indian Business Alliance, is a 

Member for the Blandin Foundation’s Broadband Strategy Board, 

and a Board Member for Pejuta, Inc. Madonna has an Associate of 

Arts in Business Administration from Haskell Indian Junior College, 

a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, and a Master’s degree 

in Community and Regional Planning from North Dakota State 

University. Madonna is an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain 

Band of Chippewa. 

Matthew L. Rappold 

Mr. Rappold is currently a co-owner of Owl Nest Consulting, LLC, 

an Indian-owned minority business located in South Dakota. Prior 

to forming Owl Nest Consulting, Matt was the Chief Prosecutor 

for the Rosebud Sioux Tribe as well as a Special Assistant United 

States Attorney. As a 2003 graduate of the University of South 

Dakota School of Law, Mr. Rappold’s legal career as an attorney has 

centered around working in Indian Country in South Dakota. In addition 

to serving as Chief Prosecutor for the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, 

Mr. Rappold has been a Staff Attorney and Managing Attorney with 

Dakota Plains Legal Services on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation 

and the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation. 

Billy Jo Sazue 

Billy Jo Sazue is the Youth Program Coordinator at Hunkpati Investments. 

Billy Jo is an enrolled member of the Crow Creek Sioux 

Tribe. A graduate of Crow Creek High School (CCHS) in 2000, he 

went on to Dakota Wesleyan University (DWU) and study Secondary 

Education with an emphasis in History. After leaving DWU in 2005, 

Billy Jo returned to CCHS and taught World History, Geography, 

and Native American History. After 3 years in the classroom, he 

served as the Dean of Students at the Middle School level for the 

next 4 years. Working with young people has always been a passion 

of his. 

Gerald Sherman 

Gerald Sherman (Oglala Lakota), has more than 20 years experience 

working in banking and finance in Indian Country. He was 

the founding director of Lakota Funds, the first Native community 

development financial institution (CDFI) in the U.S., located on 

and serving the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Sherman worked in 

banking for Norwest Bank (now Wells Fargo), the Federal Reserve 

Bank of Minneapolis, and First Interstate BancSystem of Montana. 

His banking career focused on community development and financing 

on Indian reservations. Sherman is a member of the International 

Advisory Council of the Native Nations Institute at the University 

of Arizona, which is affiliated with the Harvard Project on American 

Indian Economic Development. He is also a board member of Indian 

Dispute Resolution Services of Sacramento, California; Chairman 

of the board of the Indian Nonprofit Alliance in Montana; and Co- 

Chair of the Native CDFI Network Board of Directors. Sherman 

and his wife, Jael Kampfe, own and operate a cattle operation and 

guest ranch on a 12,000-acre Montana ranch. 

Leonard Smith 

Mr. Smith is a tribal member of the Assinaboine & Sioux from the 

Fort Peck Reservation in Montana. He has over 30 years experience 

in business and economic development with various tribes and 

Native American organizations. He is the founder and Executive 

Director of the Native American Development Corporation, providing 

technical assistance and training to Montana, Wyoming, North 

and South Dakota Native owned businesses. He was successful in 

organizing the Tribal Leadership Council (representing seven tribes 

in Montana / Wyoming), Native American Manufacturers Network 

(representing the tribal businesses in Montana and Wyoming) and 

Memorandum of Agreements with economic development agencies/organizations 

to combat depressed economies of reservations. 

As CEO of a tribal owned manufacturing enterprise for the Fort 

Peck Tribes he organized business strategies and developed strategic 

business partnerships for profitability using the 8(a) program with 

the U.S. Small Business Administration. 

Christine Sorensen 

Christine Sorensen is the Rural Development Coordinator for South 

Dakota USDA Rural Development, providing program outreach for 

core USDA RD programs as well as special projects and initiatives. 

She is Native American coordinator, Broadband Coordinator, Cultural 

Transformation Committee co-chair, and Stronger Economies 

Together trainer as part of her job. Prior to her current position, 

Christine was the chief loan officer for the Northeast South Dakota 

Economic Corporation for 13 years. She is a native of South Dakota 

growing up on a farming and ranching operation north of Pierre, 

South Dakota. She has recently been named as a Bush Foundation 

Fellow and will continue her work on regional development as part 

of her fellowship. 

Kristen Stambach 

Kristen Stambach is the Loan and Outcomes Coordinator at Four 

Bands. In this role, she is responsible for assisting with the day to 

day activities associated with maintaining the revolving loan fund 

and coordinating the organization’s Wicoicage Sakowin kin un 


Wicakagapi (Building for the Seventh Generation) program. Kristen 

also supports organizational development by analyzing and managing 

the client database for outcomes tracking, program deliverables, 

and performance measures. Kristen holds an Agriculture Business 

Degree from Western Dakota Tech and a Bachelor of Science Degree 

in Biology from Black Hills State University. Prior to coming on 

board at Four Bands in November 2010, Kristen worked at Premier 

Bankcard for over four years. A native to the area, she grew up on 

a buffalo ranch near Red Scaffold, South Dakota. Kristen currently 

lives in Dupree, a small town west of Eagle Butte, South Dakota. 

Mato Standing High 

Mato Standing High, Esq. is a licensed Colorado and South Dakota 

attorney, and along with general law practice focuses on consultant 

work through the co-ownership of Owl Nest Consulting, LLC. 

Mato has a strong background in the practice of Indian law as well 

as a passion to serve and assist under represented individuals. Currently 

Mato is Vice President of the South Dakota Indian Country 

Bar Association as well as Vice President of Native Educational 

Endeavors. Mato serves a nonprofit, How 2 Unite, on the Board of 

Directors as Treasurer, and is a founding member of this organization. 

Prior to forming Owl Nest Consulting, Mato was the Attorney 

General for the Rosebud Sioux Tribe in South Dakota and 

also served as In-House Counsel. Mato has taught Indian Law, 

Indian History, and Sociology at Black Hills State University in his 

hometown of Spearfish, South Dakota. Mato is a graduate of the 

University of Wyoming where he earned a Bachelor of Science in 

Business Marketing as well as the University of Montana, School of 

Law, where he earned a Juris Doctorate in law. 

Mark Stevens 

Mark Stevens is the Assistant Vice President / Loan Officer of 1st 

Financial Bank USA in Dupree, South Dakota. He is very active in 

the community as a member of Dupree Booster Club, a coach for 

the 7th and 8th grade girls basketball, President of Dupree Community 

Club, President of the South Dakota Junior High Rodeo 

Board, Dupree High School Rodeo coach/advisor, Ziebach County 

4-H rodeo board member, and Four Bands Community Fund Board 

Member and Loan Committee Member. In my spare time, I like to 

help friends on their ranches, rope, help kids with their horses, play 

and coach basketball, hunt, and do woodworking. I have been married 

to my wife, Rhea, for 17 years, and have 2 daughters that keep 

us busy going to basketball games and rodeos. 

Barbara Stiffarm 

Barbara has extensive background in community and economic 

development services to Native and non-Native communities. 

Before joining Opportunity Link in 2006, she served as Senior 

Staff Writer for RJS & Associates, Inc., an American Indian-owned 

consulting firm located on the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation. She 

also worked for Fort Belknap Indian Community Council as the 

Tribal Planner/Community Development Block Grant Coordinator, 

serving as research and development manager for established and 

non-established tribal services. Barbara has worked in many areas 

of business development to support entrepreneurship and tribal 

enterprises. She is currently a member of the Community Advisory 

Committee for Policy Link’s Program for Environmental and 

Regional Equity and serves as the Chairman of the Montana Community 

Finance Corporation Board. She also served as a member of 

the Governor’s Council on Economic Security for Montana Families 

until 2009, and currently serves on the Fort Belknap Investment 

Board, Montana Indian Business Alliance, University of Montana’s 

Bureau of Business and Economic Research Board, and the United 

Tribes Workforce Development Board. She is an enrolled member 

of the Blackfeet Tribe and has lived on the Fort Belknap Reservation 

since 1982. 

Sandy Swallow 

Internationally and locally-renowned Sandy Swallow’s (Oglala 

Lakota) artistic passion began in mid life, as she experimented with 

oils and watercolors while living on a ranch near Pine Ridge. Sandy 

is most well known for her hand-pulled block printmaking. This 

painstaking medium provides her with the ability to create dramatic 

pieces saturated with deep earth and pastel colors which evoke 

traditional Native American symbols and images from the natural 

world. Winning awards from many art shows such as the Northern 

Plains Indian Art Market, Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Sweet Willow 

Indian Market at Great Falls, Montana; and Grand River Indian Artists 

Gathering at Grand Junction, Colorado have helped inspire her 

art career. 

National recognition of her artwork began in 1999, as she was 

selected to be the artist for the National American Indian Heritage 

Poster for the United States Department of Agriculture. In 2007 

Sandy was commissioned to provide the artwork for the “USDA 

Guide to American Indians and Alaska Natives Programs.” Her success 

as a Native American Artist continued to grow in 2007 as, First 

Lady Laura Bush sent and invitation for Sandy to attend a White 

House Reception for her painting of the Devil’s Tower National 

Park for the White House Christmas Ornament. 

Presently, Sandy has her own gallery located on Main Street in Hill 

City, South Dakota. 

Howard D. Valandra 

Howard D. Valandra, Sicangu Lakota, graduated from St. Francis 

Mission School and the University of South Dakota School 

of Business. Howard has held a variety of positions in the tribal, 

government, private, and philanthropic sectors. Work in the private 

sector started early when Howard worked the family businesses of a 

grocery store and a service station on the reservation. He founded 

FIRST Computer Concepts, Inc., a certified 8(a) business by the 

Small Business Administration, and helped start St. Francis Energy 

Company. In 1996 Howard became Executive Director of the Tribal 

Land Enterprise, an organization that managed tribal lands and 

acquired new land on behalf of Rosebud Sioux Tribe. Currently 

Mr. Valandra is a Fiduciary Trust Officer with the Office of Special 

Trustee working with the Santee Sioux Nation, the Yankton Sioux 

Tribe, and the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe. He is involved in many 

aspects of tribal and Individual Indian Money (IIM) accounts. 

APRIL 10-12, 2013 


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Clinton Waara 

Clinton is an enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, 

and received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from South 

Dakota State University in 1993. Clint began his career with Sigma 

Alpha Epsilon Fraternity as a National Education and Leadership 

Consultant from 1993 to 1995. From 1995-1999 Clint was an account 

analyst for Wells Fargo Financial Bank in Sioux Falls. In 1999 

Clint taught at Roosevelt High School in Sioux Falls where he instituted 

the Academy of Finance model of instruction and coached 

track. Clint joined the University of South Dakota (USD) School of 

Business staff in 2001 where he ran the USD and Sitting Bull College 

Entrepreneurship Partnership. In 2003, Mr. Waara became the 

Community Development Officer and Assistant Vice President for 

Wells Fargo Bank. Clint resides in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, with 

his wife, Billie Jo, and two children, Mya and Jett. 

Kristi Wagner 

Kristi Wagner is the Owner of the Rushmore Center for Civic 

Leadership, LLC. Her consulting business provides communities, 

corporations, businesses, organization and nonprofits assistance 

in organizational and business development. Wagner provides 

her clients community coaching and process designing; nonprofit 

management and capital campaign fundraising; strategic planning; facilitation; 

organization and workplace teambuilding; community and 

healthcare needs assessment and planning; and leadership training 

and educational workplace seminars. In the early 1990’s, Kristi was 

instrumental in establishing the International Business Department 

at Northern State University. She has a Bachelor of Science Degree 

from the University of South Dakota in Business Management / 

Marketing and Public Relations. Currently, she serves as a member 

of the School of Business Advisory Board – Black Hills State University, 

Board of Directors to the Northern Hills Junior Achievement 

Board of Directors, University of South Dakota Chiesman 

Endowment for Civic Education, University of South Dakota Farber 

Center and the Black Hills Business Council. 

David White Bull 

As the Asset Development Manager at Lakota Funds, David White 

Bull has been instrumental in keeping the delinquency under 1% and 

continuing to lead the loan department in reaching their annual goals 

that include assisting aspiring Oglala Lakota entrepreneurs with cash 

flows, business plans, and loan applications. He also helps guide the 

Individual Development Accounts (IDA) program where Lakota 

Funds provides $2 for every $1 the qualified individual saves. Lastly, 

David also actively helps Lakota artists work towards entrepreneurship 

by assisting with marketing and promoting their work. David 

graduated from Oglala Lakota College in 2008 where he received his 

Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work. David is also a certified Economic 

Development Finance Professional and a certified Volunteer Income 

Tax Assistance (VITA) preparer. He has a strong desire to teach and 

is certified in Core Four Business Planning, Building Native Communities, 

and Pathways Home curricula. Mr. White Bull is the Co-Chair for the 

South Dakota Indian Business Alliance. 

Tonia Young 

Tonia Young, Business Success Coach at Lakota Funds, received 

certification as an Economic Development Finance Professional 

from the National Development Council in April of 2008. She has 

also completed the following training and/or certification programs: 

Rural Community Innovation Small Business Success Coaching 

and Customer Service Training, First Nations Development 

Institute Building Native Communities: Saving for the Future and 

Building Native Communities: Financial Skills for Families, NeighborWorks 

Institute’s Pathways to Homeownership, and Assets for 

Independence University’s Money Smart and Training Techniques. 

Ms. Young is an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and 

currently resides on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation with her two 

children. In the spring of 2010, she completed a minor in Accounting 

from Oglala Lakota College and will be pursuing a major in Business 

Administration with a specialization in Tribal Management. 

Tracey Zephier 

Tracey Zephier (Cheyenne River Sioux) joined Fredericks, Peebles, & 

Morgan in 2008 and became partner in 2010. She practices in the areas 

of Tribal/State relations; tribal legal and physical infrastructure; 

and tribal financial and real estate transactions. Ms. Zephier has been 

part of Indian law-related business and real estate transactions and 

the South Dakota Equal Justice Commission, which was created by 

the South Dakota Supreme Court to identify and devise remedies for 

the disparate treatment of minorities in the South Dakota Unified 

Judicial System. 

Ms. Zephier has done extensive legal work for the Cheyenne River 

Sioux Tribe and other tribes in the Northern Plains region. She 

served as the President and CEO of First Nations Oweesta Corporation 

in Rapid City, South Dakota, developing community development 

financial institutions (CDFIs), tribal enterprises, and tribal citizen 

entrepreneurship systems in Native communities throughout the 

United States. Ms. Zephier is the President of Wind Energy Tribes 

United (WETU), an inter-tribal organization whose purpose is to 

inform, advise, represent, and, advocate on behalf of its member 

tribes on issues related to commercial wind production and transmission. 

Tracey works closely with her own tribe on its commercial 

wind energy development project, serving as the tribally-owned 

energy corporation’s Vice President. She also has experience as an 

auditor for the South Dakota Department of Labor and as a banker 

for Norwest (now Wells Fargo). She received her Juris Doctorate 

from Yale and also holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration 

and Accounting. 

Tom Zohner 

Tom Zohner is a retired Air Force Veteran who has spent the last 

twelve years working with Job Corps. Tom started out as the welding 

instructor at Box Elder Job Corps, and after six years there, moved 

on to become a Job Corps Admissions Counselor for a private 

contractor. Tom travels all over western South Dakota performing 

outreach activities to inform people about the advantages of 

Job Corps. Tom speaks at schools, Native American groups, church 

groups, women’s organizations, civic organizations, groups large and 

small, basically anyone who will listen, about the Job Corps program 

and the importance of Career and Technical Education. In his spare 

time Tom travels by motorcycle with his wife, Julie, to visit grandkids 

and sample wines in Colorado. 


Color 

LEGEND 

Key Notes, Panels, Roundtable Discussions 

Resource Workshops, Break Out Sessions 

Exhibitors & Vendors 

Coffee & Snacks for Breaks 

Registration 

Preparation Room, Business Plan Contest 

Meals (breakfast, lunch) 

APRIL 10-12, 2013 


19

Our Sponsors and Partners 

The 2013 South Dakota Indian Business Conference would not be possible without the generous support of our 

many sponsors and partners. The South Dakota Indian Business Alliance recognizes the following entities for their 

support and dedication to “Building Opportunities in the New Native America.” 


APRIL 10-12, 2013 


21


LEADING an economic 

resurgence of the Oglala 

Lakota Oyate on the Pine 

Ridge Reservation through 

culturally appropriate 

strategies reigniting the 

traditional Lakota spirit of 

productivity, commerce, and 

trade. 

www.lakotafunds.org 

PROVIDING TOOLS 

TO HELP YOU 

BUILD A BRIGHTER 

FINANCIAL FUTURE. 

savings accounts | check cashing 

auto loans | personal loans 

www.lakotafcu.org 

Your savings federally insured to at least $250,000 

and backed by the full faith and credit of the United States Government. 

(605) 455-1515 NCUA 

National Credit Union Administration, U.S. Government Agency 

SOUTH DAKOTA 

NATIVE ENTREPRENEUR 

INVESTMENT FUND 

fostering 

Indian Business 

in South Dakota 

The leading organization on the Cheyenne River 

Indian Reservation in the areas of business lending 

and small business training. 

www.fourbands.org 

www.sdibaonline.org 

APRIL 10-12, 2013 


23

2013 South Dakota Indian Business 

Conference Planning Committee 

Many thanks to all the individuals on the conference planning board and their organizations who worked together 

diligently to organize this year’s conference. 

Cynthia Antelope 

Lonnie Brewer 

Tawney Brunsch 

Shawn Burke 

Lisa Claassen 

Jim Cordry 

Danelle Daugherty 

Michelle DuBray 

Tanya Fiddler 

Sandy Gerber 

Marcella Hurley 

Ernestine Jane Jamerson 

Stacey LaCompte 

Krystal Langholz 

Theresa Long Turkey 

Brek Maxon 

Deb Painte 

Jesi Shanley 

Christine Sorensen 

Courtney Two Lance 

Clinton Waara 

Loren White 

David Whitebull 

Native American Development Center 

Cheyenne River Chamber of Commerce 

Lakota Funds 

Sinte Gleska University 

U.S. Small Business Administration 

Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians 

Bureau of Indian Affairs 

Pinto Horse Woman Consulting 


Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis 

Small Business Development Center 

Standing Rock Sioux Tribe 

Wakpa Sica Historical Society, Inc. 



Minority Business Development Agency 

United Tribes Technical College 

Standing Rock Sioux Tribe 


Oglala Sioux Tribe Credit & Finance Program 

Wells Fargo 

Native American Development Center 

Lakota Funds 

A special thanks to Four Bands Community Fund for acting as the fiscal agent for the conference and so ably managing 

the conference registration. 


We look forward to seeing you again 

in two years for the 

2015 South Dakota Indian Business Conference. 

How many opportunities will you build in the New Native America by then

Our Mission 

SDIBA’s mission is to enhance Indian Business 

development by leveraging partnerships 

and resources of diverse institutions and 

organizations. 

c/o Four Bands Community Fund 

PO Box 932 

101 South Main Street 

Eagle Butte, SD 57625 

tel 605.964.3687 

fax 605.964.3689 

www.sdibaonline.org

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