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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Diane Gibbs, a Band member, has lived in Lake Lena for nearly 20 years. Gibbs and her husband Oliver have four daughters, 14 grandchildren, 1 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 Programs 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 TANF program, the Aazhoomog Clinic and Hinckley ALU office manager, and District III program administrator. |
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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’s 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 for 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. |
Marvin Ray Bruneau
Diane Gibbs
Curt KalkAppointed Officials
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Barbara Cole was appointed Solicitor General in May 2010 to help complete the remainder of the former solicitor general’s term, which expires April 30, 2011. As Solicitor General, Cole advises and represents the Mille Lacs Band on tribal, state and federal legal matters. She also leads the Band’s Department of Justice, which includes the Department of Public Safety and the Tribal Police Department. Prior to this appointment, Cole served as Deputy Solicitor General for the Mille Lacs Band, a position she held since 2007. Before coming to work for the Band, Cole was an attorney specializing in American Indian law issues at Larry Leventhal and Associates in Saint Paul. Cole graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School in 2005. While in law school, she researched tribal constitutional reform with a respected Indian law professor, assisted with an advanced Indian law course, and worked on child custody cases at the Indian Child Welfare Law Center in Minneapolis.
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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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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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Shaw joined the Mille Lacs Band in 2001, first serving as an executive assistant to the Commissioner of Corporate Affairs and most recently 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 AssistantCommissioner of Administration in July 2009. 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 LakesCollege and is working on a bachelor’s degree in business through the College of St. Scholastica. |
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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. |
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Barbara Cole
John Dunkley
Don Eubanks
Dennis Olson
Angella Roby, CPA
Carol Shaw
Sam Moose