Tribal Council approves new officers

By Danielle Harrison

Smoke Signals editor

With just a week passing between meetings, Tribal Council had a fairly light agenda on Wednesday, Sept. 16, with only a few action items.

The shorter one-week period between meetings occurred because Tribal Council traditionally holds a meeting after new members are sworn into office.

Earlier in the day, incumbents Lisa Leno and Matthew Haller, and third-time challenger Valeria Atanacio were sworn in for new three-year terms after taking the top three spots in the Saturday, Sept. 12, election.

During the meeting, council approved new officers. Jon A. George will be the vice chair and Tonya Gleason-Shepek will serve as secretary. Cheryle A. Kennedy will remain in her role as chairwoman.

“Now that we have our officers in place, I’m glad to move forward,” Kennedy said.

In other news, council:

• Approved a memorandum of understanding with Yamhill County. Under the agreement, the Tribe agrees to provide crisis intervention through the Grand Ronde Health & Wellness Center during regular business hours, while Yamhill County will provide these services during evenings, weekends and holidays. The MOU also outlines coordination procedures, including further steps when individuals are stable and follow‑up communication required within one business day when Yamhill County responds to a Tribal member in crisis;
• Approved a limited waiver of sovereign immunity for a downloaded, culturally adapted American Diabetes Association education program;
• And approved reappointing Victoria Ernst, Tobias Read and Martha Schrader to the Spirit Mountain Community Fund Board of Trustees with terms ending Sept. 30, 2028.

To watch the entire meeting, visit www.grandronde.org and click on the Videos tab.