General Council briefed on Economic and Lands Department

By Danielle Harrison

Smoke Signals editor

Tribal Economic and Lands Director Jan  M. Reibach briefed Tribal members during the first General Council meeting of 2026 Sunday, Jan. 4, held at the Governance Center and on Zoom.

As previously reported in Smoke Signals, Reibach took responsibility for the Economic Development program in June 2025, becoming the Economic and Lands Director. He said that the lands team is ready to manage the program as he has been working with economic development centered projects since 1997 and the lands department has been involved in several large Tribal projects.

Now called EcDev, it functions as a program within the Tribal Lands Department with the goals of “improving efficiencies, better aligning with the Tribe’s economy and increasing operational effectiveness.”

Part of revamping the EcDev program included updating the website to include a new description, mission statement, project highlights, transportation projects, conservation property recovery statistics and the Tribe’s community development plan, Grand Ronde 2033.  

The presentation was held in executive session, which limits how much Smoke Signals can report on the details. It ran approximately 45 minutes. Reibach fielded 11 questions and comments.

Tribal members interested in obtaining the slides of Reibach’s presentation should contact Tribal Council Chief of Staff Stacia Hernandez at stacia.martin@grandronde.org or call 503-879-2304.

In other action, the next General Council meeting will be held at 11 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 1, on Zoom and in-person at the Monarch Hotel & Convention Center, 12566 SE 93rd Ave., Clackamas. The program report is to be determined.

Jack Giffen, Jr., Desiree Allen, Richard McKnight, Heather Petite and Joyce Kirk won the $50 door prizes.

Jamie Smallwood, Josephine Ingraham and Elvin Butler, Sr. won the $100 door prizes.

The non-executive session portion of the meeting can be viewed by visiting the Tribal government’s website at www.grandronde.org and clicking on the Government tab and then Videos.