Office of the President

Shaawát Gé Ralphenia Dybdahl Manager The Office of the President provides direct support to the President and serves as a liaison to Delegates and the Executive Council to ensure the policies set forth by the Tribe’s governing body are implemented in a timely manner. The directives established by the Tribal Assembly and Executive Council are implemented through the planning, organizing, and coordinating of governmental and administrative operations by working directly with the Tribe’s administrative officers and managers. The Office of the President fosters collaborative relationships with statewide and national organizations and coordinates intergovernmental activities through management and coordination of federal, state, municipal and tribal relations to protect and promote the Tribe’s interests.

ƒ Prepared public comment, written testimony, reports, talking points and presentations for the President to address important issues on the local, state, and national levels through representation, testimony, and advocacy. Key testimonies prepared include, but are not limited to: » Testimony on SB 81 “An Act requiring background investigations of village public safety officer applicants by the Department of Public Safety; relating to the village public safety officer program; and providing for an effective date” to the Community and Regional Affairs Committee. » Testimony on HB 118 “An Act relating to state identifications and Heather Gatti Manager driver’s licenses for persons in the custody of the Department of Corrections; relating to the duties of the commissioner of corrections; relating to living conditions for prisoners; and providing

January - November for an effective date” to the House Tribal Affairs Committee. » Testimony on HB 123 “An Act providing for state recognition of federally recognized tribes; and providing for an effective date” to the House Tribal Affairs

Committee. » Testimony on HB 184 “An Act requiring state participation in a tribal child welfare compact” to the House Health and Social Services Committee. » White House Tribal Nations Summit panel on Housing,

Energy and Infrastructure. ƒ Continued to serve on the Tribal Emergency Operations

Center team facilitating communication with outside agencies and providing timely, integrated and coordinated response to the COVID-19 pandemic to protect the wellbeing of Tlingit & Haida’s citizens, clients, employees and communities.

ƒ Advocated to protect the Power Cost Equalization in perpetuity; letters were sent to all Southeast

Alaska Legislators and the Alaska Joint Fiscal Plan Working Group. ƒ Hosted the Tribe’s first virtual Executive Council Town Hall meeting via Facebook live to engage tribal citizens and increase outreach on current advocacy efforts on subsistence rights, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons, climate change and resilience, and transboundary mining; over 2,000 citizens viewed the town hall meeting. ƒ Advocated for changes within the structure and financial processes of the State of Alaska’s

Department of Public Safety (DPS) to benefit the Village Public Safety Officer (VPSO) program and empower VPSOs to better serve our citizens. Met with DPS Commissioner Cockrell to discuss the

VPSO programs and opportunities to strengthen the relationship between the DPS and VPSO contractors. ƒ Participated in the White House Tribal Nations Summit. As an Infrastructure, Housing, and Energy panelist, President Richard Chalyee Éesh Peterson shared some of Tlingit & Haida’s priorities and spoke about the enactment of the bipartisan infrastructure framework, as well as the Build Back

Better framework, and how it will take a focused large scale federal effort to restore and liberate

Indian country from the decades of accumulated unmet needs. ƒ Participated in tribal consultations with U.S.

Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S.

Forest Service (USFS) on the Alaska Roadless

Rule and the Administrative Procedures Act

Petition which requests the establishment of a Traditional Homelands Conservation Rule to protect traditional homelands. ƒ Coordinated and recorded the minutes of 14

Executive Council meetings. ƒ Conducted polls to coordinate the Executive

Council’s review of 71 resolutions. ƒ Worked with Tlingit & Haida Community

Councils to establish offices in Seattle and

Anchorage. ƒ Developed Community Navigator positions to serve as a local resource to tribal citizens in our communities.

ƒ Work closely with Southeast Alaska tribes and Compact communities to provide regional trainings and capacity building. ƒ Work with Tlingit & Haida’s Executive Leadership to coordinate quarterly administrative professional’s meetings to invest in our staff and develop on the job skills. ƒ Work closely with Tlingit & Haida Community Councils and elected Delegates to engage in governance of the Tribe.