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Native American radio summit empowers station owners, prospects

spesweviwridriclitrauespuuadruwujihuthacrijowosomijeclifrewr — Fri, 15 Jul 2016 16:48:00 +0000

Native American radio summit empowers station owners, prospects

Thu, 07/21/2016 - 12:00 spesweviwridri… (not verified) Fri, 07/15/2016 - 09:48

Media diversity advocates say Native-owned radio stations are especially important on rural reservations and that more networks are needed

Loris Taylor knows firsthand how tough it can be to run a radio station in Indian Country.

When she first took over KUYI 88.1 FM on the Hopi reservation in northern Arizona in 2000, she had no support system and at one point made an engineer sketch equipment diagrams on an office chalkboard so she could see how everything fit together.

It was a bad signal for Taylor and others who say radio transmissions are vital in rural areas with limited access to newspapers, local TV and consistent internet service. “I literally knew nothing, and I was the general manager,” Taylor said. “There was no learning curve for me because everything was a straight vertical line.”

But now, thanks in part to efforts from Taylor, who left the station 11 years ago to help start the diversity advocacy group Native Public Media, the task isn’t as daunting and radio is a growing platform on reservations across the U.S.

Taylor’s group aims to improve and expand existing Native-owned and -operated radio stations and to increase the number and reach of such stations. Native Public Media — along with Arizona State University’s American Indian Policy Institute, the Federal Communications Commission’s Office of Native Affairs and Policy, and the National Federation of Community Broadcasters — is hosting a three-day summit starting July 19 at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication in downtown Phoenix. Organizers plan to give Native American broadcasters an overview of radio station management, operation requirements, federal regulations, programming, funding and engineering.

“Tribal radio is a lifeline on tribal reservations,” said Traci Morris, American Indian Policy Institute director. She said the conference will provide a needed boost and that “the Cronkite School is the perfect place for Native radio and media professionals to assemble and to consult with the FCC.”

Loris Taylor, president and CEO of Native Public Media, has made it her mission to expand access to local radio on Indian reservations across the U.S.

Tribes have been lobbying the federal agency to grant more broadcast licenses to Native owners on tribal lands. Since 2007, the FCC has approved dozens of new stations in Indian Country. In 2010, the agency adopted a “tribal priority” rule to make it easier for Native owners to obtain radio licenses. The agency’s former Native affairs liaison, Geoffrey C. Blackwell, who also will attend the summit, said in a 2013 statement that the rule is intended to help “provide radio service tailored to specific tribal needs and cultures” and foster “localism and diversity of ownership.”

There are more than 560 federally recognized tribes across the U.S. comprising more than 4 million people. Including the recent growth, advocates say there are currently 58 Indian radio stations and about 20 more headed toward approval. The expansion is promising, but not enough, they say.

“Most of Indian Country is still dark,” Taylor said. “We’re just not wired.”

Summit attendees will hear from FCC Commissioner Mignon L. Clyburn, who organizers say has become known as an advocate for media diversity. Clyburn didn’t return an email seeking comment for this story, but she is scheduled to speak Wednesday.

For Taylor, the conference marks a significant moment, but it by no means signals that her work is over. With more stations on tribal lands, people will be better informed about government, public safety and other issues that affect their communities, she said. Native people also will be able to turn back negative stereotypes by telling their own stories, even in remote areas, she said.

“Radio is a technology that serves Indian Country well,” Taylor said, “because all it requires is a small appliance in the household.”

Native American radio summit empowers station owners, prospects News Articles

Training for Native nations' financial managers

spesweviwridriclitrauespuuadruwujihuthacrijowosomijeclifrewr — Fri, 27 May 2016 17:54:00 +0000

Training for Native nations' financial managers

Fri, 05/27/2016 - 12:00 spesweviwridri… (not verified) Fri, 05/27/2016 - 10:54

60 tribal managers from around country at ASU this week for certification as part of executive education program

Anni Leaman has a respectable-sized to-do list when she returns home to Massachusetts later this week.

She’s going to create a couple of new finance committees, check into whether her tribe can issue bonds on construction projects, find innovative ways to reduce her tribe’s debt and establish a first-time fraud hotline.

And that’s just for starters. Her employer, the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, is paving the way for a massive 150-acre gaming and entertainment venue in Taunton, Massachusetts.

Leaman was hired by the tribe almost 10 months ago and is a newbie when it comes to working for a tribal government.

“It takes a certain personality to work for a tribal community, and there are lots of challenges,” Leaman said. “I’m so glad I got this training.”

Leaman is referring to the Tribal Financial Certification Training offered through Arizona State University’s American Indian Policy Institute (AIPI), in partnership with the Native American Finance Officers Association (NAFOA). A certification session is taking place this week on the Tempe campus, in which Leaman is a participant.

It’s part of ASU’s Tribal Economic Leadership Program, which is designed to help Indian nations navigate the layers of complicated red tape while also offering educational and professional-development training for tribal government staff, members and leaders to support the long-term economic sustainability of nations.

Most people are under the impression that Native nations operate under the veil of sovereignty and are financially accountable to no one.

In fact, tribal governments deal with many more layers of bureaucratic complexity, regulations and compliance issues than most municipalities because of the unique relationship they share with federal, state, county and local authorities.

“There’s a demand for a more systematic and consistent training to understand the relationships that exist between tribes, federal, state, county and local governments,” said Traci Morris, director of ASU’s American Indian Policy Institute.

“Our training not only helps tribal governments through advocacy and leadership development but brings together members of tribes throughout the country to improve networking and improve nation building.”

Approximately 60 attendees from more than 40 tribes around the country — some as far away as Oklahoma, Washington, Alaska, Florida and Massachusetts — came to ASU’s Tempe campus this week to receive their Tribal Financial Manager Certification. The three-day training program, which will end on Wednesday, covered a plethora of complex financial topics. They include Federal Indian Law and Policy, Governmental Accounting in a Tribal Setting, Federal Financial Compliance, Tribal Enterprise-Accounting for Propriety Funds, and Federal, State & Tribal Taxation.

Some believe accounting for tribal governments is much more sophisticated and complex than most municipalities.

“There are a lot of nuances in financial government within a tribal government, and the complexities that we have as a sovereign nation centers around our trust relationship with the U.S. and federal government,” said Maria Dadgar, executive director of the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona Inc., which has an $18 million annual operating budget.

“Not only do we deal with federal, state, and local entities, but there are various organizations within our member tribes. It’s a lot of reading, memorizing, learning and monitoring.”

The program started in 2009 as a vision of NAFOA, and the AIPI took up the effort to develop and offer the program. With seed funding from the Arizona Board of Regents, the AIPI gathered a team of nationally recognized experts on financial management and Indian law.

Anthony Falcon, who was recently named acting treasurer for the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin, said he took the training this week at ASU to get up to speed.

“When I thought about what kind of skills I want to have as far as being active treasurer, I looked at the training and the topics we were going to cover and it’s just what I wanted,” Falcon said. “I want to be able to take information back with me to be able to provide timely and accurate information to our decision makers to help determine what’s best for our investments and business decisions.”

Falcon said his 7,600-member tribe might be small but that they have an operating budget in the “hundreds of millions.” He says that kind of cash flow requires constant vigilance.

In addition to monitoring accounts, investments and improvement projects, he will oversee how grants are administered and whether they follow all guidelines, and he makes sure that all cooperative agreements with state and local governments follows compliance.

That sort of multitasking is not only a tough job, but proof that Indian Country is now big city when it comes to finances.

“Tribes feel that they do have the capacity from within to do complex financial work and are able to contribute and give back to the state economically,” Dadgar said. “It’s not just in Arizona, but in every state.”

Training for Native nations' financial managers News Articles

Tribal E-Commerce Conference Focuses on ‘Wiring the Rez’

tlmorri3 — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 23:19:00 +0000

Tribal E-Commerce Conference Focuses on ‘Wiring the Rez’

Thu, 01/21/2016 - 12:00 tlmorri3 Thu, 01/21/2016 - 16:19

From Indian Country Today: http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2016/01/21/tribal-e-commerce-conference-focuses-wiring-rez-163149

The physical realities of modern Indian country sometimes hamper or limit the digital economic opportunities available for Indian nations. With that in mind, the Indian Legal Program at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University is devoting its second annual Tribal E-Commerce CLE Conference to addressing the challenges tribes face in joining the digital revolution.

“Wiring the Rez: Expanding the Borders of Indian Country through E-Commerce” will explore the ongoing need for tribes to build infrastructures that facilitate economic growth on their reservations, choosing the best projects, finding the right partners, understanding jurisdictional complexities, and the necessity of fostering open dialogue with federal and state counterparts, while complying with appropriate federal guidelines.

The conference takes place February 11-12 at the Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino in Chandler, Arizona. The Honorable Michael J. Copps, former acting chairman and commissioner of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will be the keynote speaker.

“The digital revolution affords Indian tribes and individual Indian entrepreneurs new and unique opportunities to project their businesses beyond the often remote confines of the reservation boundaries and to develop new business relationships no longer confined to their rez,” said Robert N. Clinton, Foundation Professor of Law and Faculty Fellow for the Center for Law, Science & Innovation at ASU Law. “To avail themselves of these new business prospects, Indian tribes, however, must first wire the rez with the broadband infrastructure necessary to support such e-commerce and then determine what business opportunities the Internet provides.”

The first day of the conference will be devoted to that particular challenge, said Professor Clinton, who will also be a speaker at the event and serves as a co-chair for the Conference Planning Committee.

“Right now, Indian country has a lack of capacity, a lack of technically trained people in this arena,” said Traci Morris, director of the American Indian Policy Institute at ASU, a conference speaker, and a co-chair for the Conference Planning Committee. “We have rural, rugged lands that are often difficult to reach. Some areas still don’t have 911 because you can’t get phone lines out there.”

Morris, who has advocated for digital inclusion at the FCC and on Capitol Hill, said one of the major infrastructure challenges facing Indian country is that a one-size-fits-all solution is not possible. Each of the nation’s 567 tribes will have their own unique issues.

“The goal is to do what works for each individual community and what they need to get connectivity,” she said. “For some communities it will be building their own infrastructures. For others it may be a hybrid of their own infrastructure tapping into lines from a larger telecomm company. For other communities, it may just be making sure the telecomm companies serve them.”

The second day of the conference will explore various e-commerce and telecommunications opportunities on which Indian nations have seized upon to build their economies and provide jobs and necessary governmental resources for their people, including telecommunications and broadcast industries, financial services, Internet gaming, and online sales.

Morris hopes the conference will help start the process of creating a pipeline for Native law students to enter the relatively new field of Indian country telecommunications regulatory issues.

The Tribal E-Commerce Conference couldn’t come at a more critical time for Indian country, said Geoffrey C. Blackwell, chief strategy officer and general counsel for Amerind Risk.

Before joining Amerind Risk, Blackwell, who is also speaking at the conference, was a senior policy maker and Office Chief at the FCC. He established the FCC’s Office of Native Affairs and Policy and, for over five years, directed FCC activities to incentivize the deployment of broadband and communications technologies across Indian country. Blackwell also led the FCC’s efforts to protect tribal sacred sites and cultural resources, ensure low income families on tribal lands have telephone and broadband services, and prioritize radio and television broadcasting media ownership opportunities for tribal nations.

“There is a persistent digital divide in Indian country, and over the years it has become more complex, diversified, and recalcitrant,” Blackwell said. “With this conference, we will get together to discuss how the issues of deployment and adoption have been addressed before, as well as new ways of working to bring services to Indian country. While electricity and water were the most important infrastructures of the 20th century, the most critical of infrastructures in the 21st century is communications technology. Broadband Internet brings all the benefits of modern society to the doors of our homes in Indian country—education, health care, public safety, civic engagement, and of course, economic empowerment.

“So much more in education in the United States is going online—not just teaching, but also testing— that there is much at risk without modern communication technologies in our tribal communities, and most importantly, to our children who will fall even further behind without robust connectivity.”

This conference is being hosted by ILP’s Rosette, LLP American Indian Economic Development Program and ASU’s American Indian Policy Institute. For registration and more information, visit the E-Commerce Official Website. Early registration ends January 29.

Tribal E-Commerce Conference Focuses on ‘Wiring the Rez’ News Articles

Grad student discovers education is key to tribal leadership goal

tlmorri3 — Fri, 05 Jun 2015 15:52:08 +0000

Grad student discovers education is key to tribal leadership goal

Wed, 02/19/2014 - 12:00 tlmorri3 Fri, 06/05/2015 - 08:52

Emery Tahy left his home at age 16 after his high school counselor told him he’d be better off learning a trade since he was failing in school. Now he’s finishing his master’s degree at ASU while working toward his goal of becoming a tribal leader.

Tahy’s journey through life has taken him from the small Navajo reservation community of Westwater, Utah, to Job Corps, where he learned the value of working hard, and then to the university where he discovered a passion for American Indian Studies.

Learning electrician and iron worker skills through Job Corps served him well after high school, but he always felt like there was something missing from his life. Then, the bottom fell out of the economy.

“I learned a lot from that experience, and I will always have a trade, but I felt that there was a void. There was something missing,” Tahy said.

When construction work dried up during the recession, he worked for Native American Connections in Phoenix that introduced him to research and aiding American Indians in the city.

“I felt like I would have more opportunities if I had a degree,” he added. “I feel like education is the key to being successful.”

Taking classes at a community college began to fill that void, as did transferring to ASU to earn his bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor in American Indian Studies.

“I’m really passionate about politics,” he said. “I felt like I was always engaged in what was going on in the world while doing construction, but I felt left out. Education was what was missing.”

American Indian Studies classes taught him about tribal governance and led him to the realization that he could give back to his people and his nation through education. He’ll finish his master’s degree this December

“The classes really drove home the importance of culture and language, and who I was as a person. It showed me how I can be a leader in tribal leadership and be of service to my people who are lacking educated leaders. There’s no program like it,” he said. “I feel a sense of responsibility to my elders and my community.”

Tahy would like to serve elders after he graduates, like he did his grandparents while he was growing up on the Navajo reservation. He remembers translating from English into Navajo letters that his grandfather received regarding a settlement for uranium miners. His grandparents also taught him how to speak Navajo while he learned English in school.

“Many elders' first language is Navajo. They need someone to talk on their behalf,” he said. ”I really want to help those elders who cannot read and understand the legal jargon.

During his years at ASU, Tahy has completed Navajo language courses that polished his reading and writing skills.

“I love my language. I think that is what really grounded me here,” he said. “My grandparents have passed on, but it seems like their teaching still echoes through my memory, to be educated and not forget about language and culture.

Part of his cultural teachings included remembering the clans he was born to – Bitter Water Clan, born for Mexican Clan; Edge Water Clan, maternal; and Red-Running-Into-The-Water-Clan, paternal.
While he is finishing his degree, Tahy is also learning invaluable practical skills by interacting with tribes in his current role working on the Tribal Indicators Project for the American Indian Policy Institute at ASU. The multifaceted project consists of gathering, preparing and analyzing American Indian census data.

“I’ve been meeting wonderful tribal leaders while I’m in this position. It’s preparing me to become effective working in tribal leadership. It’s paving that road for me,” he said. “I’d like to help Native American people throughout the nation. This program is getting me ready to do that.”

Julie Newberg , julie.newberg@asu.edu
Media Relations

Grad student discovers education is key to tribal leadership goal News Articles

Dr. Eddie Brown, AIPI Executive Director Interview in Arizona Republic

tlmorri3 — Fri, 05 Jun 2015 15:48:27 +0000

Dr. Eddie Brown, AIPI Executive Director Interview in Arizona Republic

Thu, 06/19/2014 - 12:00 tlmorri3 Fri, 06/05/2015 - 08:48

Phoenix streets using 'Squaw' in name might be changed

Dustin Gardiner, the Republic | azcentral.com

Every time Eddie Brown hikes his beloved Piestewa Peak, he passes by a street sign that still evokes troubling memories of the degrading way people spoke to his mother.

"Squaw Peak Drive," reads a sign at the head of the road leading to the gnarled mountain in east Phoenix.

Brown, the son of a White man and American Indian woman, said it reminds him of the people who called his late mother a "squaw" when he was a boy growing up in southern Arizona. She never protested the term, but he could tell she felt insulted, trivialized.

"It was a lesser reference," said Brown, executive director of the American Indian Policy Institute at Arizona State University. "Every time I go up there and I turn on that street, I'm perturbed. It just puzzles me."

Phoenix streets using 'Squaw' in name might be changed News Articles

Morris named director of ASU's American Indian Policy Institute

tlmorri3 — Fri, 05 Jun 2015 15:44:00 +0000

Morris named director of ASU's American Indian Policy Institute

Mon, 07/07/2014 - 12:00 tlmorri3 Fri, 06/05/2015 - 08:44

Traci Morris, a nationally recognized tribal communications leader and expert, has been named director of the American Indian Policy Institute (AIPI) at Arizona State University.

Morris’ expertise includes working on the national, regional and local level with Native nations, the federal government and tribal businesses/entities. She is an expert on tribal broadband who has taught college courses, authored books and articles, presented numerous professional papers, written curriculum on Native American new media and advocated for digital inclusion at the Federal Communications Commission and on Capitol Hill.

“I am very excited about the appointment of Dr. Morris as the new director of AIPI. Her extensive experience in addressing American Indian economic initiatives, in tandem with her national, regional and local involvement with tribal governments and organizations, will well serve the institute in carrying out its mission and goals,” said Eddie F. Brown, the executive director of the American Indian Policy Institute and American Indian Studies professor.

The American Indian Policy Institute at ASU is committed to tribally-driven participatory projects where tribal governments identify their research needs and collaborate with the university. The institute responds to tribal direction and empowers tribes, tribal communities and American Indian students through projects that support self-determination and build tribal capacity. The institute transforms American Indian policy analysis through a transdisciplinary approach that includes departments and centers within the university, as well as organizations in communities.

Members of the ASU academic community offered their thoughts on Morris’ appointment to the institute:

• “Dr. Morris brings a wealth of meaningful experiences and knowledge to the position of director, American Indian Policy Institute. We in American Indian Studies look forward to working on collaborative research, policy and service projects with Dr. Morris and her staff that benefit our Native communities.” – John Tippeconnic, ASU American Indian Studies director and professor

• “This is an exciting time for all American Indian programs at ASU. The AIPI is uniquely situated to respond to the needs of tribal governments and communities while also fulfilling the mission and goals of our great university. The addition of Dr. Morris to lead the AIPI will further strengthen and enhance the great work that has already been started by this relatively young program. Her knowledge of both academia and tribal communities, as well as her proven research and leadership skills, will undoubtedly usher in a strong new era for AIPI.” – Ann Marie Downes, ASU Indian Legal Program executive director.

• “Dr. Morris has policy experience and expertise on cutting-edge issues to continue and enrich the contributions of the institute and ASU in Arizona and nationally. The School of Public Affairs looks forward to close collaboration with her and the AIPI on issues of policy and indigenous self-governance.” – Karen Mossberger, ASU School of Public Affairs director and professor.

• “I am excited about the contributions that I know Traci will bring to ASU AIPI. I have had the pleasure of working with this amazing policy wonk and know of her contributions to Indian Country and, more specifically, to telecom and media. Congratulations Traci and ASU!" – Anthony Newkirk, Arizona tribal community member and the Chairman of Gila River Telecommunications Incorporated at the Gila River Tribe.

Morris is a member of the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma, and she maintains a strong working relationship with her community while her passion for communications and media policy and advocacy emerged from these tribal roots. Morris’ research and publications on Native American media and the digital divide focus on Internet use, network neutrality, digital and new media curriculums, digital inclusion and development of broadband networks in Indian Country. Her book, “Native American Voices: A Reader,” is a teaching tool utilized in colleges throughout the country.

“We are pleased to learn of Dr. Traci Morris’ appointment to the American Indian Policy Institute directorship. Traci is well-qualified to serve in that capacity, as proven by her exceptional career. We expect Traci to use her experience to positively engage the American Indian Policy Institute with Indian Country to build its capacity and further the efforts of tribal self-determination,” said Governor Anoatubby of the Chickasaw Nation

Morris is also the founder of Homahota Consulting LLC, a national, Native American woman-owned professional services firm that specializes in policy analysis, telecommunications, education and research that assists tribes with nation building, and works with Native Nations, tribal businesses and companies working with tribes

Morris earned her master’s and doctoral degrees in American Indian Studies from the University of Arizona, and her bachelor’s degree from Colorado State University.

Julie Newberg , julie.newberg@asu.edu
Media Relations

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