Board
Fern
Orie
Chairwoman
Founding Chief Executive Officer. Ms. Orie is an Oneida Nation of Wisconsin Tribal member with over 20 years of experience working in Native communities in housing, community development, and lending, including tribal land management and operating a tribal housing authority. She has a bachelor's degree in business administration. She is the founding Chair of the Wisconsin Indian Business Alliance, the Vice-Chair of the Native CDFI Network and serves on the Forward Community Investments New Market Tax Credits Advisory Board. She has recently been appointed by Governor Evers to the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation's Entrepreneurship & Innovation Committee and the Governor's Council on Financial Literacy. Also, she was appointed to the Wisconsin Economic Development Association's Board of Directors.
James
Schlender
Vice Chaiman
LCO
Jeff
Bowman
Treasurer
A Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians of Wisconsin Tribal member. Mr. Bowman has been the President of a tribally owned bank since 2013. Mr. Bowman has worked in the banking industry 26 years, 16 of those years in President/Vice-President capacities. Mr. Bowman has also been the President and Board member of a certified Native Wisconsin CDFI, First American Capital Corporation, for the past 14 years as well as a Board member of the American Indian Chamber of Commerce for the past 18 years.
Michael
Moe
Secretary
A member of the Forest County Potawatomi Community. Currently part of the Business Development team at Greenfire Management Services, a pure construction management firm owned by the Potawatomi Business Development Corporation, the economic development and diversification arm of the Forest County Potawatomi. Michael assists in the development and implementation of strategies to identify, pursue and secure new construction opportunities across diverse market sectors, helping the team develop promotional materials, update and manage website content and build and refine the company’s proposal process. He has a bachelor’s degree in business administration – marketing and supply chain management.
Jeff
Ackley, Jr.
Director
Jeff Ackley, Jr. is a Sokaogon Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe Tribal member and the Executive Director of the Lac du Flambeau Chippewa Housing Authority. Through his leadership, the Housing Authority secured diverse funding through Low Income Housing Tax Credits, the American Rescue Plan Act, and other sources to develop the Tree Haven subdivision, a community center, and other housing-related projects in Lac du Flambeau.
Carley
Eichman
Director
A member of the St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin. Mrs. Eichman is a marketing and business development professional and University of St. Thomas graduate with over a decade of experience in brand strategy, marketing communications, community development, and business leadership. She currently serves as the Executive Director of the St. Croix Tribal Economic Development Corporation, where she leads the vision and mission of driving economic growth and for the tribe and its members.
Casey
Fitzpatrick
Director
A Ho-Chunk Nation Tribal member and Executive General Manager at Ho-Chunk Gaming Black River Falls. Mr. Fitzpatrick has over 40 years of service for the Ho-Chunk Nation. Much of his experience is in Class II & III Indian Gaming, which 30 of those years have been in a supervisory & management capacity. His experience includes working at the following properties: Ho-Chunk Gaming - Baraboo, Black River Falls, Madison, Nekoosa, and Wittenberg. He has held positions in Table Operations, Casino Operations, and Executive Management.
Philomena
Kebec, J.D.
Director
Philomena Kebec, J.D., an enrolled member of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa currently serves as the Chief Judge of the Sokaogon Chippewa Community Tribal Court and an attorney at Osterby Law Office, LLC, where she represents public-defender eligible litigants in state criminal cases and civil clients in tribal courts. Philomena teaches Federal Indian Law at the University of Minnesota Duluth Masters in Tribal Government and Administration Program and is a DrPH student and Bloomberg American Health Initiative Fellow at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. Along with Aurora Conley, she founded Gwayakobimaadiziwin Bad River Harm Reduction in 2015.
Michael
Skenadore
Director
A Menominee Tribal member and partner in Keshena Group LLC and a former President of Menominee Tribal Enterprises. Mr Skenadore is a graduate of the MBA in American Indian Entrepreneurship program at Gonzaga University and has a Bachelor's degree in elementary education from St. Norbert College. He currently serves on the Menominee Indian Gaming Authority Board of Directors and is active in business education in the Menominee community.
