WASHINGTON, DC (September 15, 2022) – Gene L. Dodaro, Comptroller General of the United States and head of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), today announced the first appointments to GAO’s newly established Tribal Advisory Council, which will provide the congressional watchdog with insights and recommendations on matters affecting Tribal Nations and their citizens.
“The Tribal Advisory Council, which is being officially launched today, consists of tribal leaders and others who can provide GAO with valuable advice to help Congress oversee federal programs serving tribes, their citizens, and indigenous peoples,” Dodaro said. “Many highly qualified individuals expressed an interest in serving on the Council, and I’m very pleased to announce this first round of appointments. We look forward to their assistance in addressing the many challenges facing tribal communities.”
The newly appointed members whose two to three year terms begin September 2022 are listed below:
Cheryl Andrews-Maltais, Chairwoman, Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head Aquinnah
Tehassi tasi Hill, Chairman, Oneida Nation
John Lowery, Chairman, Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina
Sheila Carl, Tribal Council Member, Akiak Native Community
Myra Pickering, Second Member, Tribal Council, Otoe-Missouria Tribe
Corinne Sams, Member at Large, Board of Trustees, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation
Kip Spotted Eagle, Councilman, Yankton Sioux Tribe
Elizabeth (Lisa) White Pipe, Bull Creek Tribal Representative, Rosebud Sioux Tribe
Diana Zirul, Tribal Council Treasurer, Kenaitze Indian Tribe
Sarah Curtis, CEO and President, Choctaw Global, LLC, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
Virginia “Ginger” Fuata, Consumer Board Member, Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center, Native Hawaiian Communities
Rhonda Harjo, Attorney and former Deputy Chief Counsel (retired), U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians/Mvskoke Nation
Sarah Lukin, Chief Strategy Officer, Cook Inlet Region, Inc.
Kasie Nichols, Director, Office of Self-Governance, Citizen Potawatomi Nation
Christopher Adam Red, Auditor, Internal Audit Department, Southern Ute Indian Tribe
Lashawna Tso, Executive Director, Washington Office, Navajo Nation
GAO established the Tribal Advisory Council to help inform the agency’s future work and priorities in examining federal programs that serve tribal communities and indigenous peoples. For more information about the Council, please visit www.gao.gov/about/what-gao-does/tribal-advisory-council or contact Paige Gilbreath with the Natural Resources and Environment Team at (202) 512-3841. Other calls should be directed to Chuck Young in GAO’s Office of Public Affairs at (202) 512-4800.
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