WHO WE ARE | BOARD OF DIRECTORS | PILLARS
Board of Directors
LESLIE ELGOOD, BOARD CHAIR
For over three decades Leslie Elgood has applied her management experience, strategic acumen and dedication to social change for organizations including as President of the University of New Mexico Foundation and as President and CEO of New Mexico Community Capital. New Mexico Community Capital provides community development venture capital funding and high-level business services to promising businesses to help create jobs and alleviate poverty in New Mexico. Leslie is a recipient of the SBA Small Business Innovator Award and the JCC Humanitarian Award for Good Investing—bestowed annually to an individual who demonstrates visionary work and strategic leadership in the field of non-traditional investing and community development.
Leslie formerly owned and operated Senior Relocation Services of New Mexico, LLC, a nationally accredited business that helped boomers, seniors and their families successfully navigate challenges associated with relocation and other major lifestyle transitions.
ATHERTON “ATTY” PHLEGER, VICE CHAIR/ TREASURER
Atherton Phleger is an attorney with a background in tribal economic development, strategic planning, and climate resilience. Atherton graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of New Mexico School of Law with a J.D. and a Certificate in Natural Resources Law. He also holds a B.A. in English from the University of Colorado, Boulder, where he graduated as Valedictorian of the English Department.
As a Senior Advisor at Cota Holdings LLC, Atherton Phleger provides strategic planning services for tribal economic development and climate adaptation projects, as well as guidance for non-native entities seeking to partner with tribes and their businesses or invest in tribal projects.
Earlier in his career, Atherton served Program Director at Climate Advocates Voces Unidas (CAVU), and New Mexico Tribal Liaison for the South Central Climate Adaptation Science Center. In those roles, he successfully managed tribal engagement projects, collaborated with tribal stakeholders, and played a pivotal role in the development of regional intertribal adaptation planning efforts.
Atherton Phleger currently serves as the Vice-Chairman of the Board at Flower Hill Institute, where he assists the organization's strategic planning and fundraising efforts.
Atherton’s professional history demonstrates strong commitments to Indian Country, climate adaptation, and economic justice. He is grateful for the ability to further these commitments as senior advisor to Cota Holdings.
CRISTINA DANFORTH
Cristina (Tina) Danforth, former Chairwoman of the Oneida Nation, is the new Chief Executive Officer of Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council, Inc. As a former tribal leader, she has a proven track record in successful business and governmental operations.
Tina served as Chairwoman from August 2004 – 2006, and again from August 2014 – 2017. Prior to being elected Chairwoman in 2014, she was Treasurer for two consecutive terms. Her responsibilities included managing a multi-million-dollar budget, paying off debt, creating balanced budgets, and self-funding both the gaming expansion project and the building of a new One Stop convenience store. She secured bonds to build a new state of the art nursing home facility as well. Tina has a vast knowledge of the Oneida Tribe’s Judiciary system, gaming operations and financial affairs.
During her previous tenure as a member of the Oneida Business Committee, she served as lead negotiator for Wisconsin gaming compacts and as a negotiator for the Oneida New York Land Claims. She is a past recipient of the AmVets Leadership Award, Lifetime Achievement Award for Financial Leadership by NAFOA, and Lifetime Achievement Award by Women Empowering Women in Indian Nations (WEWIN).
Currently she is the Chairwoman of the Native American Bancorporation (NAB) and President of the Native American Financial Officers Association (NAFOA). Her past appointments include Vice Chair of NAB, President of the Midwest Alliance of Sovereign Tribes (MAST), Vice Chair and Treasurer of the Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council (GLITC) and a previous appointment to the Wisconsin Governor’s Council on Tourism.
In her role as Chief Executive Officer of Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council, Tina uses her expertise in social services, tribal community development and programming, economic development, small business development, corporate governance and banking, and strategic planning and implementation to move the organization forward.
As an alumnus of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, Tina uses the combination of her education and experience to promote the advancement of the Native Americans and tribal communities through exercising tribal sovereignty, promoting diversification, and making decisions based upon improving the efficiencies of all tribal resources.
CHRIS DEVERS
Mr. Chris Devers is a member of the Pauma Band of Luiseno Indians. Mr. Devers has spent a majority of his life on the Pauma Indian Reservation. Mr. Devers graduated from Fallbrook Union High School in 1970. After 2 years at UCLA Mr. Devers enlisted in the U.S. Army. After receiving his honorable discharge, Mr. Devers began his work experience. He has worked in the construction field as a heavy equipment operator, Water Master for the Pauma Band, Native American Circuit Rider for the Rural Community Assistance Corporation, Native American monitor for Native Grounds and was formerly the Cultural Liaison for the Pauma Band.
Mr. Devers has had the honor of being selected by the Pauma People to serve on the Band’s Tribal Council, holding past positions of Committee Member and Vice-Chairman. From January 2001 to December 2010, Mr. Devers held the position of Tribal Chairman for the Pauma Band.
Mr. Devers has offered his services in many ways to assist California Indians in the fields of education, health, energy development.
Mr. Devers and his wife Charmaine have been married for over 40 years, have four children and eleven grandchildren. Mr. Devers enjoys playing golf, traveling and interacting with his children’s families.
JIM GRAY
Jim Gray is the former Principal Chief of the Osage Nation. He was the youngest Chief in the history of the Nation.
During his term, Chief Gray, led the Osage Nation through a comprehensive restoration of Osage sovereignty, the right to determine their own citizens and form their own government. This led to enrollment of thousands of Osages who had been left off the rolls for nearly 100 years and a referendum vote that adopt- ed a constitutional form of government for the first time in generations. This effort gave all Osages over the age 18 the right to vote in tribal elections.
From 2002-2010, Chief Gray has served as both Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Inter-Tribal Monitoring Association (ITMA) consulting with the Department of Interior’s management of Native American trust funds. He was elected as Chairman of the Board of the Council of Energy Resource Tribes, served as Co-Chair of the National Budget Advisory Council, which sets the priorities for the Bureau of Indian Affair’s $2.3 billion budget. Chief Gray has accepted appointments to the Office of the Special Trustee Board of Advisors, Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Native American Rights Foundation, and Inter-tribal Economic Alliance and President of the Indian Country Renewable Energy Consortium. From 1996 to 2002, he was also a distinguished journalist and Publisher of one the largest independently owned Indian Newspapers in America, the Native American Times.
Chief Gray’s work has been recognized over the years by numerous organizations like the Native American Business Development Center. The Greater Tulsa Area Indian Affairs Commission awarded him the Lewis B. Ketchum Award for Excellence in Business. He also received the Abe Venable Legacy Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2005 from the U.S. Department of Commerce, accepted “High Honors” award on behalf of the Osage Nation from the Harvard Project on Indian Economic Development, awarded the American Indian Tribal Leadership Award at REZ 2008 and the Chairman’s Leadership Award from the National Indian Gaming Association in 2009. In recent years, he has stayed busy doing work for the Native American Contractors Association, the Cherokee Nation, The Delaware Tribe, Global Trade and Technology and as a Tribal liaison for Norfolk Southern Railroad. Recently, Chief Gray was Director of Native outreach for the Biden Harris 2020 campaign in Arizona. Chief Gray is married to Libbi Chissoe Gray (Osage) and is the father of four children, Henry, Naomi, James, and Annette (Nettie) Gray and the step father of three children, Mary, Sarah, and Oli Ramirez. He is culturally versed in his Osage Traditions and has been dancing in his tribe’s ceremonial dances since he was six years old.
MICAH MCCARTY
Hawt’wilth’iayatuk, is an ancient name that has been passed on for several generations of the Wa-atch village of Makah. This Name was bequeathed to Micah McCarty during the celebration of life ceremony for Micah’s Father, the Late John A. McCarty. After graduating from high school in Olympia, Washington in 1990, Micah spent his usual summer time fishing with his father. Micah was appointed by his father, John McCarty, as an alternate Commissioner to the Makah Whaling Commission, which exposed him to the complex world of national and international intergovernmental-interagency affairs. Micah then immersed himself into Treaty awareness and protection with an eye on public relations as well deepening his knowledge of family and tribal histories.
It was not long after those formative years with the Makah Whaling Commission that Micah was asked to run for tribal council. Micah was elected in 2003 and served three consecutive 3-year terms. He successfully co-created the NW Navy Tribal Council, the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary’s Intergovernmental Policy Council, as well contributed to the overall Makah economic development, natural resource management, and treaty ecology protection.
Micah has been recognized by a multitude of organizations, such as German Marshall Fund Fellow, Washington State Arts Commission awardee, Alum of Washington State Governor Christine Gregoire’s Blue Ribbon Panel on Ocean Acidification, the First Potlatch Fund’s “Billy Frank Jr. Natural Resources Protection Award,” Puget Sound Partnership awardee, Inaugural Vice Chair of the Obama National Ocean Council Governance Coordination Committee; Member of the Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee. He was appointed by the Secretary of Commerce, served as a panelist for the US Joint Oceans Commission, pioneered Tribal Representation on EPA region 10- USCG District 13 Regional response team, wrote the forward art for Dr. Charlotte Cote’s “the Spirit of our whaling ancestors,” created the cover art and wrote the “Afterward” for Dr. Joshua Reid’s “the Sea is my Country.”
In the few years after his service on the Makah Tribal Council, Micah worked for the President of the Evergreen State College and consulted with Quinault and Nisqually Tribal Councils. Micah is an advocate of the mutually beneficial relationships of cultural and biological diversity with respectful ecotourism ventures that create meaningful learning experiences for all peoples. Micah fully understands the importance of public relations and shares a vision for culturally responsible international citizen science, guided by our community of Native perspectives.
JERRY PARDILLA
Jerry Pardilla is the director of the Office of Environmental Resource Management, United South and Eastern Tribes. He has served in tribal nonprofits for many years, including the National Tribal Environmental Council and Alaska Inter-Tribal Council, advocating for tribal nations to regain control and management of their natural resources. Jerry has extensive experience with tribal governments, inter-tribal organizations, federal agencies, and multi-stakeholder engagements. Jerry is a former tribal leader and has served the Penobscot Nation as a council member, lt. governor, and governor and CEO. Jerry is a veteran and served as a commissioned officer and rated aviator in the Maine Army National Guard. He is a traditional singer and gourd dancer, and lives in Rio Rancho, New Mexico.