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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 Chief Executive Mille Lacs Band Elder Marge Anderson was born on the Mille Lacs Reservation, is fluent in the Ojibwe language, and has served more than 30 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 has 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.

Curt Kalk Secretary/Treasurer Mille Lacs Band member Curt Kalk serves as Secretary/Treasurer. In this role, he authorizes all subpoenas and official documents on behalf of the Band Assembly and investigates financial irregularities. Kalk also serves as Speaker of the Band Assembly, the legislative body that enacts laws that regulate the Band’s affairs and appropriates money for tribal government programs. Before being elected Secretary/Treasurer, Kalk served as Commissioner of Natural Resources for nine years. He has also worked for the Band’s Department of Natural Resources as a deputy registrar. Prior to his service to the Band, Kalk 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 an elected official for the Band.
Miskwaanakwadooquay Sandra L. Blake District I Representative Band member 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.

Marvin Ray Bruneau District II Representative Band member 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.

Diane Gibbs District III Representative Band member Diane Gibbs has lived in Lake Lena for nearly 20 years. Gibbs and her husband Oliver have four daughters, 14 grandchildren, one great-granddaughter, and have had seven foster children. Gibbs is currently attending Central Lakes Community College and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in political science. Gibbs was elected District III Representative in 2010. In addition to that role, Gibbs is a member of the Pine Grove Leadership Academy school board, the Blandin Foundation Community Leadership Program's advisory board, and an Indian Child Welfare Act qualified expert witness. Prior to serving as the District III Representative, Gibbs served the Band in other roles for almost 20 years. Gibbs became interested in politics after she served as a legislative liaison in District III for six years. She has also worked for the Band’s tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, the Aazhoomog Clinic and Hinckley Assisted Living Unit office manager, and District III program administrator.

Appointed Officials

Don Eubanks Commissioner of Health and Human Services 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 helped create the Band’s Circle of Health program, oversaw the design and creation of the Band’s Assisted Living Units, and led the design and construction of the Aazhoomog Clinic. 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 for the Chemical and Mental Health Services Administration (CMHSA), reducing racial and other disparities statewide. To help achieve those goals, Eubanks created the CMHSA Diversity Council. In his first seven years with the DHS, he served as the director of the Chemical Health Division and oversaw the state’s substance abuse treatment and prevention system, rewrote the state rules that govern treatment, and redesigned statewide prevention from program-based to regional coalitions. Eubanks served as treasurer for the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors and was a board member for the Minnesota Organization for Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, the Minnesota Minority Health Advisory Group, and the Minnesota Fathers and Family Network. He is currently a part of the Minnesota chapter of National Alliance on Mental Illness and Rebuild Resource Center. Eubanks holds a bachelor’s of science degree in social work from Metro State University and a master’s degree in social work from the University of Minnesota.

John Gerdener Commissioner of Finance John Gerdener was appointed Commissioner of Finance in May 2011. As Commissioner of Finance, Gerdener is the chief financial officer for the Mille Lacs Band and oversees the Band’s Office of Management and Budget. He is responsible for the financial activities of the Band, including financial reporting, handling investments, overseeing tribal government accounting, and he administers the Band’s taxation activities, loan programs, and burial insurance program. Prior to his appointment with the Mille Lacs Band, Gerdener owned his own financial consulting practice and held senior leadership roles in a number of large public accounting firms. Gerdener earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration and his master’s degree in business administration from the University of Wisconsin. He also is a certified public accountant. Throughout his career he has been active in professional organizations, and has held national and state offices in the American Institute of CPA’s, the Institute of Management accountants, the Wisconsin Institute of CPA’s, and the Association for Strategic Planning. Gerdener is also a member of Beta Gamma Sigma, an honorary business fraternity.

Gail Kulick Commissioner of Corporate Affairs Gail Kulick was appointed Commissioner of Corporate Affairs in June 2011. As commissioner, she serves as the chief executive officer and chair of the board of directors for the Mille Lacs Band’s Corporate Commission, which analyzes new business opportunities and oversees the Band’s existing businesses, including Grand Casino Mille Lacs, Grand Casino Hinckley, and numerous small businesses. A Milaca resident for the past 32 years, Kulick owned her own law practice for 25 years. Her legal specialties include business governance, business entity formation, real estate acquisition and title clearing, and estate planning. Kulick has been an active civic leader. She served District 16A in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2009-2011, was a public defender in Mille Lacs County, and was the city attorney for Foreston, Onamia and Milaca. She has served many local organizations, including the Milaca Economic Development Commission, Rum River Health Services Board, Mille Lacs Health Services Board, Mille Lacs Area Health Foundation, and Milaca School Board. Kulick graduated summa cum laude from St. Cloud State University and earned her law degree from the University of Minnesota. She is pursuing a master’s degree in tribal administration and governance at the University of Minnesota, Duluth.

Brad Kalk Commissioner of Natural Resouces Mille Lacs Band member Brad Kalk became the Commissioner of Natural Resources in January 2011. He is responsible for overseeing the Band’s natural resources and environmental programs; forestry, fish and wildlife improvement activities on tribal lands; and other natural resources management duties. Kalk has been a longtime advocate for Ojibwe treaty rights and the preservation of the Band’s hunting, fishing and gathering traditions. As Commissioner, Brad assesses how each natural resources decision impacts conservation. He works with state officials on managing the Mille Lacs Lake fishery, and he also serves on the board of directors and the lake taskforce for the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wild Commission (GLIFWC). Brad’s community involvement includes service on the Woodlands National Bank board of directors and previous service on boards for ML Wastewater Management and the Mille Lacs Reservation Housing Authority. Brad and his wife of 25 years live in District I of the Mille Lacs Reservation. They have six grown children and 11 grandchildren. Brad credits his mother, Loretta Kalk, as the source of his enthusiasm for the outdoors.
Todd Matha Solicitor General Todd R. Matha was appointed Solicitor General in May 2011. As Solicitor General, Matha advises and represents the Mille Lacs Band on tribal, state and federal legal matters. He also leads the Band’s Department of Justice, which includes the Department of Public Safety and the Tribal Police Department. Prior to his appointment with the Mille Lacs Band, Matha worked for the Ho-Chunk Nation in Wisconsin. He served on the tribe’s Trial Court as an Associate Judge from 1999-2005 and a Chief Judge from 2005-2011. He will continue to serve as Associate Justice for the Ho-Chunk Nation Supreme Court. Matha graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1996 and received a bachelor’s degree from Dickinson College in Pennsylvania in 1991. A member of the Ho-Chunk Nation, Matha has a wife and two children.

Dennis Olson Commissioner of Education Dennis W. Olson Jr. was appointed Mille Lacs Band Commissioner of Education in May 2009. In this role, Olson oversees the Band’s educational programs and services, including the Nay Ah Shing Schools, early education, and higher education. 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 a master’s degree in education from the University of Minnesota Duluth.

Michele Palomaki Assistant Commissioner of Administration Michele Palomaki was named Assistant Commissioner of Administration in August 2011. In this role, she acts in a deputy-level capacity to the Commissioner of Administration to help manage the day-to-day operations of the Mille Lacs Band government. Her duties include managing human resources, finances, and contracts for the executive branch of Band government. Palomaki will also act as Commissioner of Administration when the Commissioner is absent and will assist other commissioners with day to day operations as needed. Palomaki joined the Mille Lacs Band in 2001, first serving in the office of management and budget. Most recently, she was the director of Circle of Health, a program that pays for deductibles, copays, and health insurance premiums for Band members. Prior to working for the Band, Palomaki held several positions in the accounting and medical industries in Michigan. A Mille Lacs Band member, Palomaki has an associate of science degree from Northern Michigan University and an associate of arts degree from Central Lakes College. She lives in Isle with her husband, Bruce, and son, Jacob. She also has stepchildren and a granddaughter who live in Michigan.

Carol Shaw Commissioner of Administration In her role as Commissioner of Administration, Carolyn Shaw 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, Shaw served as Assistant Commissioner of Administration for two years. Shaw joined the Mille Lacs Band in 2001, first serving as an executive assistant to the Commissioner of Corporate Affairs and then serving as an associate director in the Band Member Development Department, providing Band members with resources to gain employment and develop their careers. She was appointed Commissioner of Administration in March 2011. Before working for the Band, Shaw served four years in the U.S. Army. Shaw, a Mille Lacs Band member, received an associate of arts degree from Central Lakes College and a bachelor’s degree in management from the College of St. Scholastica. She is pursuing a master’s degree in tribal administration and governance at the University of Minnesota, Duluth.

Sam Moose Commissioner of Community Development Sam Moose serves as Commissioner of Community Development. In this position, he oversees all community development activities, including the public works and facilities departments and the Mille Lacs Band’s housing development initiatives. He also helps ensure that the department’s development and improvement services promote safety, security, and cultural sensitivity while building communities. Before becoming Commissioner of Community Development in 2010, Moose was the director of housing. He also served the Band as Commissioner of Health and Human Services from 2001-2009. Moose is active in traditional activities within his community. He grew up near East Lake and graduated from McGregor High School. He has a bachelor of applied science degree in community health with a minor in Indian Studies from the University of Minnesota Duluth.