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About the NACDC

How the NACDC Carries Out its Work

Native American Community Development Corporation (NACDC) is a nonprofit affiliate of Native American Bank. NACDC works with Native communities to address underlying factors that inhibit economic development and the productive use of available financial capital. NACDC has been directed to focus its efforts in a number of key areas to include financial education, facilitation services for tribal planning, small business and the provision of development services and technical assistance, housing development finance and home mortgages, as well as on exploring the possibilities for providing non-conventional intermediary financing.

NACDC operates with an understanding that community development opportunities and the means to address those opportunities best come from within the community. Its role is therefore to help facilitate effective action that is driven from within the community and provide support when possible and as needed and desired by the community.

NACDC’s general approach in working with individual Native communities is as follows:

  1. Initial Scoping Session(s) - Meet with community leadership to discuss NACDC, its relationship with Native American Bank, and the possibilities of working with and within the Tribal community on initiatives that are important to that community. This may consist of more than one meeting.
  2. Facilitated Strategic Planning Session – Conduct a one or two day facilitated planning session involving elected officials, staff, other community leaders and general members of the community.
  3. Representation from community is to be determined by community leadership. The goal is not to replace existing planning processes or planning documents, but to help community develop specific action plans.
  4. Community “Assessment” – NACDC staff person spends time in the community meeting with elected officials, staff and other community leaders to develop an understanding of the roles and responsibilities, policies and procedures, etc., and also to determine where NACDC can be of the most assistance.
  5. Ongoing Activities – NACDC provides ongoing support to the community in the implementation of action plans. The level of support depends on resources available and desires of the community.

The Board

Mr. Robert L. Gips

Cape Elizabeth, Maine

Rob Gips is special counsel on Indian affairs. He has served as legal counsel and as a key business and financial advisor to Indian tribes since 1983. As counsel to the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, for which he continues to serve as counsel and business advisor today, Rob was instrumental in the creation and development of Foxwoods Resort Casino, one of the most successful casino resort complexes in the world. He has been counsel or senior advisor for most financings done by the Tribe, and has served in a similar capacity for most of the Tribe's major business ventures, including hotel acquisition and resort development activities.

Rob’s professional practice has included service as general counsel and as advisor in business and financial transactions by other major tribal governments throughout the United States, including the Seminole Tribe of Florida, the Passamaquoddy Tribe and Penobscot Nation in Maine, the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, and the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa Indians in Michigan. He also works with select developers and businesses operating in Indian Country. His specialized business development work for his clients has encompassed the creation and acquisition of hotel, resort, casino and gaming facilities, tribal housing, tribal manufacturing facilities, industrial plants, and a broad variety of both on- and off-reservation joint ventures. Rob is listed in Best Lawyers in America, Chambers & Partners USA, and in New England Super Lawyers, independent guides to the top lawyers in the U.S., under the categories of Native American and Business Law.

Mr. David Hoffman

Anchorage, Alaska

David Hoffman oversees Development Finance for the NACDC. Mr. Hoffman served as the Executive Director of Alaska Growth Capital, a business development corporation and a CDFI, which is jointly funded by Arctic Slope Regional Corporation and the State of Alaska. Alaska Growth Capital provides loans and technical assistance to small businesses located in rural Alaska. Mr. Hoffman is now retired.

Mr. Jay Marcus

New York, New York

Jay Marcus oversees Community Development for the NACDC. Mr. Marcus formerly served as the director of Housing Initiatives for the Enterprise Foundation and the Director of the San Jose Redevelopment Office. He now works as a consultant to Tribes, Tribal organizations, financial institutions and government agencies on structuring low-income tax credit deals and other housing and community development projects.

Mr. Tony Skrelunas

Flagstaff, Arizona

Tony Skrelunas, the Chairman of the board, served as director of the Navajo Division of Economic Development, oversees the Navajo small business revolving loan fund and is CEO of Indigenous Community Ventures.

Mr. J.D. Williams

Eagle Butte, South Dakota

J.D Williams, Treasurer, is general manager of the oldest tribally-owned telephone authority in the United States. This authority now runs a propane company, cable television, and the ISP on the Cheyenne River Reservation and serves as an advisor to Tribes.

 

The Staff

Angie Main

Executive Director

Angie is an enrolled member of the Montana Fort Belknap Gros Ventre Tribe, joined NACDC in 2005 to forward the goal of economic sovereignty through small business development and local capacity building. Angie received her Bachelor of Science in Business Technology from Montana State University-Northern. Her background includes 21 years experience in administration, contracts, grants management, education, as well as small business, economic and community development issues for Montana, Wyoming, and South Dakota Indian Reservations. She has worked as a consultant to leverage resources for housing development, law enforcement and juvenile justice; community organizational development; incorporation; articles; by-laws; non-profit status; strategic planning; business plan development; resource development; and SBA 8(a) certification.

Jaime Bechel

Financial Literacy Programs Director

Eva Cobell

Administrative Officer, Browning, Montana

Eva Cobell is the Administrative Officer of the Blackfeet Reservation Development Fund, Inc.  Eva serves as central support services to the Native American Community Development Corporation (NACDC).  Eva joined the Blackfeet Reservation Development Fund, Inc. (BRDF) 1992 when BRDF was part of the Blackfeet National Bank.  Eva has served as one of the crucial leaders in the Administrative Area transitioning BRDF goals and services in coordination with NACDC. She is responsible for audits and accounting services for BRDF and provides administrative services to the non-profit Blackfeet Land Trust Corporation until it is staffed.
 
Eva is a high school graduate of Flandreau Indian School in South Dakota.  She completed her education in Utah for a dental assistance and worked a number of years for Indian Health Service as a dental assistant and in the environmental office. Eva is a member of the Blackfeet Tribe and has spent the majority of her life in the Blackfeet Community.  Eva worked and lived in Wrangell, Alaska.  Eva is quite proud of her daughter, Carmen, who is a CPA and continues to live in Alaska.   Eva is also a very proud grandmother of three grandsons.

Fredrick “Butch” Conway

Small Business Coordinator, Browning, Montana

One of the newest additions to the NACDC Team is Mr. Fredrick “Butch’” Conway. Butch has been placed in the position as the Small Business Coordinator in the Browning Montana Office. Butch is the father of five wonderful boys. Butch is the son of Rita Conway and the late Fredrick “Butch” Conway Sr. both of Browning. Conway formerly co-operated the B & G Construction Company that pertained to home construction, repair, maintenance and remodeling. In 2005, Butch received his degree in Business Management from the Blackfeet Community College. “My paternal grandparents were very knowledgeable, successful entrepreneurs that operated a few different types of businesses in Browning, and I am proud to have had the opportunity to learn from them.”

Since taking on the position as Coordinator for the Incubator, Butch has been working with the local Blackfeet business community and emerging entrepreneurs. The Incubator effort is called the Specialized Small Business Support Services (SSBSS) and it supports micro and small businesses by bringing local entrepreneurs together for training, planning and problem-solving. The project uses a curriculum that has been revamped to meet the needs of the business people on the Blackfeet Reservation. “Working one-on-one with local businesses allows us to identify any challenges or short falls that business may be experiencing. Then the fun part begins, finding the consultants or resources to defeat those challenges to help that business be more successful”.

Butch is proud of the fact that he is raising his children in a more technological advanced age then he was brought up in. “I want to see future generations have more opportunities and chances to prosper than we had growing up”. “Economic development is vital to the survival of Native Reservations and I can’t imagine anything more rewarding than being a part of the advancement of our Native Communities.”

Growing up Butch had the fortune of seeing a lot of country while traveling with his dad and grandfather to several race tracks in the western states and Canada while they raced their thoroughbred race horses, another family venture that kept them busy for several years. When not on the road or in school Butch spent a lot of time living with his maternal grandparents, learning the finer points of country living and nature.

When not wrapped up in work Butch enjoys spending time with his children, family and friends. Camping, fishing, hunting or just taking a ride in the mountains seeing the results of the Creators actions are just a few of the things Butch loves doing when not in the office.

Paula Crawford

Mortgage Associate, Denver, Colorado

Ms. Crawford is of Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux and Oglala Sioux Tribe (Rose Bud) heritage, and coordinates the seeding of home mortgages in the Indian community market in Colorado for NACDC and NAB. Hired in 2006 by NACDC, she brings extensive knowledge of both the real estate and mortgage markets in Colorado and the entrepreneurial sensibility and commitment needed for effective business development. Her experience in the mortgage area gives her insight into the credit issues faced by working families who want to apply for a mortgage and she has the ability to connect these aspiring homeowners with credit counseling and financial education programs.

Patty A. Gobert

Loan Administrator NACDC Financial Services, Inc.

Shayne Hall

Community/Financial Literacy Coordinator, Browning, Montana

Shayne Marie Hall is an enrolled member of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin and is of Blackfeet descendent. Shayne graduated with honors from Browning High School in 1998, and in 2004 graduated summa cum lade from Montana State University-Bozeman with her Bachelor of Science in Health & Human Development. Shayne attributes her solid connection to the community to her steadfast cultural upbringing and strong family ties. Shayne and her husband, George Rutherford, are carrying on the family tradition by raising their two children in Blackfeet Country.

The rewards of working with students are immense, and Shayne enjoys working with them on a daily basis through NACDC’s premier Blackfeet Mini Bank Association financial literacy program. “The kind of work that I am involved in is very exciting and motivating! My job is a great conduit for positive change in Blackfeet Country and eventually reaching above and beyond.”

Along with teaching financial literacy, Shayne also works within the community development sphere and feels like a part of the positive change which is happening for Native American people. NACDC offers young Native American people, like Shayne, the opportunity to make a difference and NACDC is invested in the next generation.

Bob Moore

Operations & Program Manager, Denver, Colorado

For the past 10 years, as Operations and Program Manager, Mr. Moore has overseen the financial management and reporting for NACDC. In addition, he participates in program activities, assists in reporting to and maintaining communication with funders, and prepares fundraising proposals.

Mr. Moore has worked within and on behalf of Native American communities for over 25 years. He was one of the principal organizers of the tribally-owned Blackfeet National Bank in Browning, MT, and served on its Board of Directors for 14 years. Mr. Moore has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Master’s Degree in Urban and Regional Planning with professional experience in public accounting, financial services, and community development. Prior to joining NACDC, he was employed for 14 years by the Council of Energy Resource Tribes where he worked on economic development initiatives.