Leadership Council

Composed of national experts who offer diverse perspectives on the economic and financial circumstances in American Indian communities, our Leadership Council advises and assists with the CICD’s strategy and priorities.

Leadership Council Members

Fatima Abbas

Acting Director

Office of Tribal and Native Affairs, U.S. Department of the Treasury

Melanie Benjamin

Chief Executive

Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe

Nicole Borromeo

Executive Vice President and General Counsel

Alaska Federation of Natives

Jackson Brossy

Assistant Administrator

Office of Native American Affairs, U.S. Small Business Administration

Shannon Edie

Executive Director

Native Hawaiian Organizations Association

Leonard "Lenny" Fineday

Secretary/Treasurer

Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe

Richard "Rico" Frias

Executive Director

NAFOA

Dawson Her Many Horses

Senior Vice President and Head of Native American Banking

Wells Fargo

Townsend Hyatt

Partner

Orrick, Herrington, & Sutcliffe LLP

Chris James

President and CEO

National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development

Arlan D. Melendez

Chairman

Reno-Sparks Indian Colony

Robert J. Miller

Professor

Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University

Donald M. Ragona

Director of Development and House Counsel

Native American Rights Fund

Leah Sixkiller

Of Counsel

Hogen Adams PLLC

Desi Small-Rodriguez

Assistant Professor

University of California, Los Angeles Department of Sociology and American Indian Studies

Jean Swift

Interim Chief Financial Officer

Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation