Band Employees Attend NAFOA Conference

Published

Honorable Speaker of the Assembly and Secretary/Treasurer Sheldon Boyd traveled with other members of the Legislative office to attend the 2019 Fall Finance and Tribal Economies Conference held by NAFOA (Native American Finance Officers Association) on October 7 and 8 at Mystic Lake Casino Hotel in Prior Lake. Also in attendance was Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community Secretary/Treasurer Rebecca Crooks-Stratton, Mille Lacs Band Chief Executive Melanie Benjamin, Mille Lacs Band Legislative Branch Chief Communications Officer Valerie Harrington, and Minnesota Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan (pictured below) as well as Mille Lacs Band Commis- sioner of Natural Resources Bradley E. Harrington, Deputy Assistant to the Chief Executive Arlyn Sam, Chief Legal Counsel for the Legislative Branch Christine Jordan, and Assistant to
the Commissioner of Finance Chris Waite.

The Lieutenant Governor spoke about where she came from, her experiences in her journey to the position she holds today, and the direction she is steering her office in for the future. This session and many others provided opportunities for band members and other attendees to gain new perspectives on fiscal management, learn about what other tribes have been doing, and network with other financial managers and tribal leaders. Breakout sessions covered everything from managing per capita payments to making good investment decisions.

Valerie Harrington says she was ”very thankful and honored to be able to attend with other Mille Lacs Band employees to gain knowledge to bring back and use for our government.”