December 2012 - Central Council Tlingit Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska

New Employee IntroductionMy name is Valesha Patterson and I am a Haida Eagle. My mother is TracyNix, and her mother and father are Marilyn and the late Allen Nix Sr. ofHydaburg, AK. My father’s name is Douglas Patterson; his parents areLillian and the late Joe Patterson of Juneau. My Tlingit nickname given tome by Lillian Hammond is See Tlien.Submitted By: Valesha PattersonI traveled many times throughout my schooling years from Juneau toHydaburg to Washington and back. I settled myself in Juneau, in 2006,getting a job with the U.S. Forest Service, enrolling myself into JuneauDouglas High School and living with my Aunt Jo Ann. Early on I foundTristen with mom, Valesha Pattersonpride with my fellow Natives in the Early Scholars and PITAAS’ programs,in particular Ricky Tagaban and Erin Tripp. The three of us were passionate about our culture and schooling.Whether we made an impact or not, we wanted our Native voices heard. Ricky and Erin have continued to dothat since graduation. Ricky is currently attending UAA and serves as the Tlingit Haida Central Council YouthRepresentative. Erin is an intern at Goldbelt Inc. and is attending UAS.I have always had a motherly nature about me. So, that motherly instinct really kicked in when my childhoodsweetheart of two years, James Washington, and I had our first child, Tristen. He is now a fiery ball of energy,soon to be three years old. The first two years of his life we lived in Hydaburg. In heart, I am a village girl, butknew that was not the life for me.We moved to Juneau in November of 2011. Utilizing the Tlingit Haida Central Council Work Experienceprogram, I began working in the Office of the President (OTP) in May 2012. I found an extended family withthe ladies of the OTP. I found my passion and sense of pride again joining the “Get Out The Native Vote”campaign. I became a permanent employee for the Tribal Transportation department in September. I now workfor both departments part-time, and although it is a lot of work, I thoroughly enjoy it.I am excited to be working for the Tribe and hope to bring a young perspective in anything that I do.Tribal Transportation RelocatesSubmitted By: Tribal TransportationThe Tribal Transportation department is pleased to announce it has moved onsite into the first floor of theEdward K. Thomas Building located at 9097 Glacier Highway in Juneau, Alaska. The department had previouslyleased space in the Jordan Creek Center.“We are really pleased to be housed now with our colleagues at Central Council. It will be a great opportunityto work more closely and collaboratively with other parts of the organization,” said Mary A. Miller, TribalTransportation Director. In addition to Mary, the Juneau Transportation office staff includes ProgramCoordinator Brandilyn McDonald and Administrative Clerk II Valesha Patterson.In spite of the disruptive move, the department is busily working on a road construction project to be built inSaxman this summer, several design projects for Central Council’s parking lots, a subdivision design for theTlingit-Haida Regional Housing Authority, as well as being involved in several other transportation planningefforts.The Transportation crew invites you to stop in to talk about your transportation issues or learn more about whatwe are doing.8