Tribal Government
Elected Officials
The Mille Lacs Band Chief Executive is elected by Band members every four years. The Secretary/Treasurer, who is the speaker of the Band Assembly, is also elected by Band members every four years. District Representatives to the Band Assembly are elected by the people of their respective districts for four-year terms. Band members who live off the reservation select a home district and vote only for that district’s Representative.
Marge A. Anderson Marge Anderson was born on the Mille Lacs Reservation, is fluent in the Ojibwe language, and has served more than 20 years in the Band’s tribal government. In December 2008, she was elected Chief Executive of the Mille Lacs Band in a special election. Anderson began her public service in 1976 as District I Representative. She then served as Secretary/Treasurer from 1987-1991 before being appointed Chief Executive in 1991 after Art Gahbow died while in office. She was elected to the post in 1992 and again in 1996. During her tenure as Chief Executive, Anderson led the development of Grand Casino Mille Lacs and Grand Casino Hinckley and the rebuilding of the reservation through new schools, clinics, community centers, housing, a water treatment plant, and other infrastructure. Her efforts to strengthen tribal self-governance and increase American Indians’ self-sufficiency have received national recognition. For a more in-depth biography for Chief Executive Anderson, please click here. |
Miskwaanakwadooquay Sandra Blake was born and raised on the Mille Lacs Reservation, where she and her husband raised their three children. Blake has a bachelor’s degree in organizational development from the College of St. Scholastica and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in education. Blake was elected Mille Lacs Band District I Representative in 2008; she previously served as District I Representative from 2000-2004. Blake most recently served as executive director of education for the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe. She has also held numerous positions within the Minnesota Historical Society at the Mille Lacs Indian Museum, as well as other positions with the Mille Lacs Band. |
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Marvin Bruneau, a husband and father of three daughters, is a lifelong resident of District II on the Mille Lacs Reservation. He graduated from McGregor High School and attended the College of St. Scholastica. Bruneau has been the Mille Lacs Band’s District II Representative since 1990. He has also served the Band as a member of the Housing Authority Board of Directors, a community health representative, and a drum society member. In addition, Bruneau has been an emergency medical technician and a factory worker in the McGregor area. |
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Harry Davis and his wife Laureen have five children: Bev, Roxanne, Dione, Weylin and Kate. He resides east of Hinckley on the Mille Lacs Reservation. Davis has been the District III Representative since 1998 and enjoys working in the Band’s government to benefit and improve the lives of Band members through housing, education, training, and employment opportunities at the Band’s businesses. Prior to being the District III Representative, Davis was lead slot technician at Grand Casino Hinckley, where he had worked since the facility opened in 1992. Davis has also coached the Lake Lena Boxing Club and served on the Band’s donation committee. |
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Herb Weyaus is a resident of District I on the Mille Lacs Reservation. He has four sons, a stepdaughter and stepson, and 12 grandchildren. Weyaus was elected Secretary/Treasurer in 1998. Prior to that, he was court liaison for the Band’s Tribal Court and a circle keeper in the Band’s Restorative Justice Project, which works to rehabilitate offenders and involve community members in their sentencing. Weyaus remains committed to this unique justice system, and he is a major proponent of the Band’s treaty rights. |
Marvin Ray Bruneau
Harry Davis
Herb WeyausAppointed Officials
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In April 2007, Rjay Brunkow was appointed Solicitor General for the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe. As Solicitor General, Brunkow represents and advises the Mille Lacs Band in tribal, state and federal courts on all legal matters and, as the head of the Band’s Department of Justice, oversees the Band’s Department of Public Safety and Tribal Police Department. An enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, he brings legal experience and a knowledge of Indian issues and culture to his position. |
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Michael Garrow |
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Mille Lacs Band member John Dunkley was appointed Commissioner of Administration in December 2008. He oversees the day-to-day operations of the tribal government, including administering grants and contracts and overseeing personnel issues and lobbying activities as directed by the Chief Executive. Prior to being appointed Commissioner, Dunkley served as an economic development officer with the American Indian Economic Development Fund, in which he helped Indian entrepreneurs develop and maintain their businesses. Dunkley has worked for the Mille Lacs Band in various positions for more than 14 years, including as a legislative aide for the legislative branch of the Band’s government, chairman of the board for the Gaming Regulatory Authority Board, and a business relations manager with the Corporate Commission. Dunkley has also served as the director of business relations for Platinum Capital Financial Group in Minneapolis. Dunkley holds a bachelor’s degree in cultural anthropology from the University of Minnesota and has completed a graduate business training course with the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. |
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In July 2009, Mille Lacs Band member Don Eubanks was appointed Commissioner of Health and Human Services, a position he previously held from 1998-2000. In this role, Eubanks oversees the Band’s three clinic locations and other services in the areas of public health, behavioral health, family services (e.g., child welfare and foster care), and community support services. He also advises the Chief Executive on all health and human services issues at the local, state and federal levels. Prior to his appointment, Eubanks worked in the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS), most recently serving as the director of multicultural affairs. He also served as the director of the chemical health division in the DHS. Eubanks holds a bachelor’s degree from Metro State University and a master’s degree in social work from the University of Minnesota. |
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Mille Lacs Band member Curt Kalk has served as the Commissioner of Natural Resources since 2001. He is responsible for overseeing the Band’s natural resource and environmental programs; forestry, fish and wildlife improvement activities on tribal lands; and other natural resource management duties. Kalk also serves as the chair of the board of directors for the Great Lakes Indian Fish Wildlife Commission, an intertribal agency that helps its 11 member tribes protect their treaty hunting, fishing and gathering rights and preserve natural resources. Kalk began his work with the Mille Lacs Band Department of Natural Resources as deputy registrar, managing all licensing for the Band, including motor vehicle, boat and snowmobile licenses and hunting and fishing permits. Prior to that, he worked for the federal government for 13 years, owned and operated a resort on Mille Lacs Lake, and worked as a subcontractor in carpentry. He also served in the U.S. Marine Corps for four years. Kalk graduated with honors from the Band’s Nay Ah Shing High School in 1981, and he is the first graduate from that school to become a commissioner for the Band. |
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Prior to joining the Band, Olson served as project coordinator at the University of Minnesota’s Institute on Community Integration, which improves community services and support for people with developmental disabilities and their families. In this position, he worked with American Indian high school students in their transition to higher education, coordinated federal grant projects, and worked with students with disabilities. Olson also held other positions within the institute since 2000. A Fond du Lac Band member, Olson holds bachelor’s degrees from the University of Minnesota in American Indian studies, sociology, and communications. He also holds a master’s degree in liberal studies and will complete a master’s degree in education from the University of Minnesota Duluth in summer 2009. |
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As the chief financial officer for the Band’s Office of Management and Budget, Angella Roby is responsible for financial reporting; tribal government accounting; and administration of taxation activities, the personal loan program, and the burial insurance program. Roby joined the Band with 14 years of experience as a certified public accountant. Twelve of those years were spent with Larson, Allen, Weishair & Co., LLP (LarsonAllen), a professional service firm that provides assurance, accounting, tax, consulting and advisory services. Most recently, she was an audit and accounting manager at LarsonAllen. Roby is a member of the Minnesota Society of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. She earned a bachelor of accounting degree from the University of Minnesota Duluth. |
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Commissioner of Community Development Jennifer Waltman oversees all community development activities, including the public works and facilities departments and the Mille Lacs Band’s housing development initiatives. She also helps ensure that the department’s development and improvement services promote safety, security, and cultural sensitivity while building communities. Waltman, a Standing Rock Lakota who grew up in central Minnesota, has more than 12 years of experience working in Indian Country. Waltman holds a bachelor’s degree in social work from St. Cloud State University, performed graduate work at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, completed an Indian business executive training course at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College, and holds a master’s degree in business administration from Augsburg College. Prior to her appointment as Commissioner of Community Development in July 2009, Waltman was the managing partner of Heritage Strategic Group, providing strategic consulting, business coaching, and training services. Waltman is certified in project management, is a licensed registered investment advisor, holds insurance licenses in six states, and is a certified long-term care specialist. She has served as the national treasurer of Women In Financial Services, a board member for American Indians in Unity and the Minnesota Women’s Political Caucus, and a volunteer for Women Venture, Goodwill, and the American Indian Family Center. |
Rjay Brunkow
John Dunkley
Don Eubanks
Curt Kalk
Dennis Olson
Angella Roby, CPA
Carol Shaw
Jennifer Waltman