ATNI Postion Announcement: Project Coordinator

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Position Description

Interdisciplinary Research Leaders-Team Akiak

Project Coordinator (Part-time contract)

TITLE: PROJECT COORDINATOR (Contract Position)

HOURS: Up to 20 hours per week

LOCATION: Remote within the Greater Northwest and Western Alaska

PAY RANGE: $28-30 per hour (No benefits included)

SUBMISSION DATE: Wednesday, March 24, 2021 at 5 PM (PT)

Job Description:  PROJECT COORDINATOR

This position is open to interested contractors.  Serious part-time applicants please send a cover letter, resume/CV and three references (name, title, organization, email, phone) to James Parker of ATNI at jparker@atnitribes.org by March 24, 2021 at 5 PM (PST).   This is in conjunction with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Project Overview

This study builds on an established community partnership between our interdisciplinary team and an Alaskan Native community.  This study embodies Indigenous research methodologies including ethical tribal engagement at all stages of research design, implementation, dissemination and policy impact.  Our work will yield two broad results: water quality data on local watersheds and a better understanding about how environmentally related stress experienced by the Alaska Native community is impacting their health.  In addition,we will initiate extensive conversations around the topics of water and health by building a network of tribal leaders and policy makers to prioritize their local needs and to identify culturally grounded solutions.

Who are we? 

This study is a community-academic partnership endeavor between ATNI, University of Washington and an Alaska Native community. Through this partnership ATNI has an outstanding opportunity for a Project Coordinator reporting to the Project Director for the environmental research project, “A Holistic Environmental Health Approach to Promoting Health, Equity and Water Security in one Alaska Native Village.”

Position Purpose

The primary purpose of this Project Coordinator position is to provide research project coordination and support for a research team across ATNI, University of Washington and an Alaska Native community to achieve the aims of the environmental health study. The Project Coordinator works under the general direction of the Project Director, and provides overall coordination. 

Under the guidance of the Project Director, the Project Coordinator will be responsible for day-to-day administration of the project. This will include, but is not limited to, scheduling virtual and in-person meetings, record keeping, assisting with coordinating data collection and arranging water quality data testing in labs among partnering institutions, assuring fidelity to data collection protocols, ordering supplies, and managing travel arrangements. Additionally, he/she/they will provide logistical support for quantitative and qualitative data collection in the Pacific Northwest and Alaskan sites. He/she/they will also generate progress reports to funders and Tribal partners, create posters and other communication tools, and coordinate dissemination of research results at the community-level, as well as support the research team in publication of research results. This position requires a high degree of flexibility and tact, the ability to work with a wide range of community and academic partners, and experience developing, implementing, and monitoring research protocols.

Position Dimensions

The part-time (up to 20 hours per week) position bridges the often wide gap – real and perceived – between academia and community, especially with respect to environment health research. By building mutual trusting relationships between academia and communities, both parties will be able to address environmental health disparities to the mutual benefit of community well-being, as well as academic research.

Duties and Responsibilities

Responsibilities for the study include but are not limited to:

  • Work with the Principal Investigators to design and implement the various phases of the research project.
  • Coordinate work plans to meet strategic objectives for continued partnership engagement, recruitment of participants, focus groups, water sample, online survey development, data collection, data analysis and dissemination.
  • Assess unique research approval mechanisms for the UW and the partnering tribes, identify diverse approval steps, and complete all necessary processes (including IRB applications, administrative letters, and tribal resolutions) to obtain research approval from partner tribes. 
  • Assist the team in establishing protocols to standardize daily operating procedures and promoting an organizational culture that is transparent and accountable to all stakeholders.
  • Organize, maintain and revise project files and the large number of documents within those files.

Requirements

Master’s degree in Information School, American Indian or Indigenous Studies, Environmental Science, Public Health, Psychology, Tribal Colleges and Universities or related field and 2-3 years of relevant experience to include:

  • At least 2 years of Community-Based Participatory Research education and/or experience
  • At least 2 years of work with American Indian/Alaskan Native communities 
  • Strong project management skills, including meeting scheduling, travel logistics and financial reconciliation
  • Knowledge and prior experience with human subjects institutional review process
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, Zoom, References and Bibliography software (e.g., Endnote)
  • Strong commitment to social justice and experience partnering with under-served communities for purposes of health equity 
  • Ability to work independently, prioritize and manage multiple tasks, and conduct follow-up
  • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (written and spoken), with demonstrated ability to earn trust and respect of colleagues and partners at all levels and from diverse backgrounds and cultures
  • Flexibility with shifting priorities and competing demands 
  • Ability to work as a collaborative, cooperative, and congenial member of an interdisciplinary research team, as well as work independently.   

Desired

Experience in tracking, completing and revising research ethics and project recruitment materials in tribal settings.  

Start and End Dates

The position is open immediately, March 15, 2021, with funding guaranteed through Sep 1, 2023. 

Job-Description-for-Project-CoordinatorDownload

NCAIED Survey: Assessing the Economic Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Indian Country

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Your Opinion Needed: Assessing the Economic Impact of COVID-19 on Indian Country 
Native American and Alaska Native tribal governments and enterprises encouraged to participate in new survey

March 10, 2021Tribal nations are now one year into the COVID-19 pandemic. Having real-time data on the economic impacts of COVID-19 in Indian Country is critical to ensure public policy solutions respond to the needs of tribal communities.  

Our partner, the Center for Indian Country Development (CICD), continues to assess the evolving economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tribal governments and tribal enterprises, and your feedback is critical. CICD’s fourth COVID-19 pulse survey addresses current and anticipated revenue declines and the impacts on employment and the provision of government services as a result of current or anticipated declines in revenues. 

The National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development previously partnered with CICD for a survey on the state of Indian Country businesses. You can view the results of that survey here. 

The survey should take no longer than 5 minutes to complete. All responses are anonymous, and only aggregated results will be shared publicly. The deadline to complete the survey is 7:00 p.m. CDT Friday, March 12.

Feel free to share the survey link with tribal government and tribal enterprise leaders in your network.

Begin Survey

COVID-19 Regional Tribal Town Hall Convenings

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In December 2020, NCAI President Fawn Sharp created the COVID-19 Response and Recovery Task Force (Task Force) to address: (1) tribal COVID-19 relief needs; (2) tribal COVID-19 recovery needs; and (3) the chronic conditions that created the public health and economic circumstances making Tribal Nations and citizens vulnerable to this crisis. This Task Force is chaired by Chairman Larry Wright of the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska. 

It is important that the Task Force and its members hear from all Tribal Nations on how COVID-19 has impacted their communities and the needs tribal leaders have to respond and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, NCAI and partner organizations have scheduled the following regional online convenings to gather tribal leader input in a town hall setting. During these meetings, tribal leaders will be asked to share the resources they require to address immediate COVID-19 relief and recovery; the status of vaccine distribution within their Tribal Nation; and other related items in response of the COVID-19 pandemic and new administration. 

We encourage tribal leaders to sign up for their respected regional convening listed below. Additional details will be released soon. 

*Please note that Daylight Saving Time begins on March 14, 2021, remember to turn your clocks ahead one hour.

Northwest Regional Convening Date: Wednesday, March 10, 2021Time: 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. ET (3:00 – 4:00 p.m. PT)
This convening is being co-hosted with the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians

Register Today

NCAI Briefing – U.S. Census Bureau Tribal Consultation on Disclosure Avoidance System

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Tuesday, February 16, 2021 at 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. EST

The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) Policy Research Center is hosting the second of two briefing webinars for Tribal leaders and their technical staff in preparation for the U.S. Census Bureau Tribal Consultation Webinar on the 2020 Census Disclosure Avoidance System. The Tribal Consultation Webinar will be held on Thursday, February 18, 2021 at 3:00 p.m. EST. 

The information about attending the U.S. Census Bureau Tribal Consultation Webinar is located here. The U.S. Census Bureau also lists discussion questions and requests input on a few questions.

The Disclosure Avoidance System includes the statistical methods the U.S. Census Bureau is using to protect the confidentiality of individual response data in the 2020 Census. The statistical methods are complicated, but information released to date, including demonstration data, reveal that there may be adverse impacts on 2020 Census data for Tribal Nations, especially those that are small, rural, or remote. The U.S. Census Bureau needs to hear how Tribal Nations use census data as they try to optimize the quality and usability of the 2020 Census data.

In order to help preparation for the U.S. Census Bureau Tribal Consultation Webinar, the NCAI Policy Research Center will host a second briefing webinar on Tuesday, February 16, 2021 at 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. EST. During the webinar, we will provide a short presentation summarizing the issues related to the Disclosure Avoidance System and its potential impact on 2020 Census data for Tribal Nations, and then we will leave plenty of time for questions. 

To view our briefing materials and resources on this topic from the past two years, go to our research recommendations website. These resources include research policy briefs, letters, the NCAI resolution on this topic, and videos of webinars organized by year.

To register for the briefing webinar, click on the link below:

Tuesday, February 16, 2021, 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. EST: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2349402774269418255

We hope you can join us for this briefing webinar on this important topic to help you prepare to make comments at the U.S. Census Bureau Tribal Consultation Webinar on Thursday, February 18, 2021.

Questions? Email research@ncai.org

ATNI Presidential Transition Planning Summit 2021

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WHEN:Tuesday, December 8, 202010 AM – 4 PM PTWHERE:
Register in advance for this meeting:https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIldemhrzIvHdPwnFurPTu3Ubtu0iyyMy3_ After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Members of the Biden Transition Team will present during the first hour of the Summit including Janie Hipp who will be focusing on BIA issues and Geoff Roth who is working on HHS issues.


Following the Biden Transition Team presentation, we will review the priorities and recommendations of the ATNI committees to discuss, approve and forward to the Biden Transition Team.


Biden-Harris Plan for Tribal Nations
https://joebiden.com/tribalnations/#


NCAI Transition Plan
https://www.ncai.org/…/draft-presidential-transition–plan-with-committee- input-111320

Sen. McCoy received a Master of Public Administration honorary degree from The Evergreen State College

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June 27th, 2020

Dear Friends of Sen. John McCoy;

On June 12th, 2020, Sen. McCoy received a Master of Public Administration honorary degree from The Evergreen State College during commencement. Earlier that day, he also received the 2020 Public Official of the Yearaward from the college’s Master of Public Administration program. Finally, to ensure that Sen. McCoy’s legacy of supporting Native student education continues, we are currently working to endow a scholarship in the senator’s name to support future MPA Tribal Governance students.

While presenting the honorary degree during commencement, Evergreen President Dr. George Bridges referenced the senator’s extraordinary educational leadership in Native education throughout the state, including passage of the Since Time Immemorial Legislation, legislation establishing tribal compact schools in Washington state and co-founding the Tribal Leaders Congress in Education.

Sen. McCoy, the Tulalip Tribes, and the Muckleshoot Tribe helped establish the Advanced Studies in Tribal Governance program in Evergreen’s Master of Public Administration program, which Faculty Emeriti Alan Parker (Chippewa Cree) and Linda Moon Stumpff (Apache) co-founded in 2000.

The 10th MPA Tribal Governance class graduated this past June. Our alumni of Tribal Students have played a lead role in transformative change as they have filled key positions throughout Indian Country. President Joe DeLaCruz of the Quinault Indian Nation, a visionary leader of the past generation, saw such a goal when he called upon Parker and Stumpff to design and teach this program.

We are creating an endowed scholarship fund that will allow the Senator’s educational and public service leadership to continue to impact current and future generations.  We plan to begin distributing scholarships during the upcoming academic year with individual donations to launch the program, while we build an endowment to provide scholarships in perpetuity.

“When I first came home and started to work on building the Tribe’s resources, one of those resources was getting our Tribal students educated. Getting them educated was very important so that we could build on our resources and help our people grow.” –Sen. John McCoy (Tulalip)

For more information on the Sen. John McCoy Endowed Scholarship, please contact Tina Kuckkahn-Miller, J.D. (Ojibwe), Vice President for Indigenous Arts, Education and Tribal Relations, at (360) 918-1817 or by email at kuckkaht@evergreen.edu.

We invite you to join us by making an online contribution here: Senator McCoy Scholarship

Respectfully,

Tina Kuckkahn-Miller, J.D. (Citizen, Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe)

Vice President for Indigenous Arts, Education and Tribal Relations

The Evergreen State College

Olympia WA 98505

Alan R Parker, J.D. (Citizen, Chippewa Cree Tribal Nation)

Adjunct Faculty, The Maori Indigenous University and

Faculty Emeritus, The Evergreen State College

McCoy-scholarship-ATNIDownload

ATNI Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Webinar

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ATNI Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Webinar
June 18, 2020 01:00 PM Pacific Time
You are invited to join the ATNI hosted webinar to discuss the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF). The RDOF will provide up to $20.4 billion over 10 years to communications providers for communities that are unserved or underserved by broadband internet. 
The RDOF auction includes a tribal lands bidding preference to include more eligible tribal locations in this opportunity. This webinar will provide an overview of the RDOF auction, discussion from tribal practitioners, and a Question & Answer session between the FCC and attendees.  Nearly 80 percent of the $20.4 billion is available in Phase I, which is scheduled to begin October 2020. The deadline for letters of interest for Phase I is Wednesday, July 15, 2020.
REGISTER TODAY!
When: Jun 18, 2020 01:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada) Topic: ATNI: Rural Digital Opportunity Fund 
Register in advance for this webinar:https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_6ZLLThqmR9qgfxbwtnwk-A 

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

“No-action alternative”; as the preferred alternative in the Tongass National Forest, Alaska Roadless Rulemaking process.

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May 27, 2020
Sonny Perdue, Secretary of Agriculture
U.S. Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Avenue
SW Washington, DC 20250


Dear Honorable Secretary Perdue,


The Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians (ATNI) requests the U.S. Forest Service to fully protect
designated roadless areas in the Tongass National Forest. ATNI stands in support and solidarity
with the Organized Village of Kake and several other Southeast Alaska Tribes, which have made it
very clear that any rule that weakens or eliminates Roadless Rule protections within Tribal
traditional territory of the Tongass National Forest will substantially affect Southeast Tribes’
inherent Tribal rights to traditional and customary uses of the land.
During ATNI’s Annual Convention on October 10, 2019, nearly 50 member Tribes from SE Alaska,
Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Northern California passed resolution #19-58, which
supported the ‘no-action alternative’ as the preferred alternative in the Tongass National
Forest, Alaska Roadless Rulemaking process.


On October 15, 2019, the United States Forest Service (USFS) released the Draft Tongass Rule
that proposed granting a complete exemption to the 2001 National Roadless Conservation Rule.
The USFS is advancing the Tongass Roadless final rule review even though a state of national
emergency has been declared in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Organized Village of
Kake and other Southeast Alaska Tribes have raised serious concerns about the USFS closing a
cooperator review input period for the draft final rule one week after the national emergency was
declared. This is an unconscionable act without any consideration of the good faith efforts of
Tribes trying to protect their customary and traditional lands. 


President Trump issued an executive order declaring a state of national emergency on March 13,
2020, in response to the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States.  Since then, numerous U.S.
governmental organizations, including the U.S. Supreme Court and the Internal Revenue Service,
have announced extensions of normal filing deadlines because of ongoing public health concerns
relating to COVID-19.  Additionally, Alaska Governor Dunleavy has instituted numerous restrictions
limiting the public’s ability to gather, work, and travel. Southeast Tribal communities are exhausting
all available resources to prepare and address this health crisis in their communities. All of these
restrictions make it extremely challenging, if not impossible, to engage in federal rulemaking.
Around March 7, 2020, the Forest Service sent Southeast Alaska Tribal cooperators a pre-public
draft, final environmental impact statement, and requested feedback by March 21, 2020. The
Forest Service did not suspend this process or extend this deadline even though a national
pandemic emergency had been declared in the interim. 


Southeast Tribes involved in Forest Service planning processes, like most communities, are
entirely focused on the COVID-19 crisis and are unable to devote the time and attention to
participate meaningfully during this declared national emergency health crisis.  Tribes and Tribal
leaders are working hard to keep their respective communities and families healthy and safe while
complying with the extraordinary restrictions being implemented to contain and limit the spread of
the disease.  COVID-19 has disrupted normal working, schooling, and living conditions, impairing
the ability of many parents, elders, and members of the general public to go about their daily
routines and conduct regular business, much less weigh in on Forest Service actions.  


In-person meetings that are essential for high-quality Tribal participation and consultation in
planning processes cannot take place, as Tribes must maintain the recommended or mandated
health standards and “social distancing” required to protect vulnerable populations. Virtual
meetings and other online tools cannot meet the requirements of a robust discussion that would
inform a Tribal position on draft documents. Many Tribal communities do not have the technology,
internet resources, or bandwidth necessary to enable participation in virtual meetings or to review
of large documents. This problem is compounded by the closures of Forest Service offices and
local libraries, preventing access to online or hard copies of planning documents.  Any existing
digital platforms and networks, especially in remote, rural areas, are being overwhelmed with
increased demands at this time, which will further impede connection and participation.  
The fact is the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to create significant challenges for Southeast
Alaska Tribal communities and all of Indian Country. Until Tribes can fully participate, ATNI
requests that USDA/USFS suspend the roadless review process and retroactively suspend the
cooperator review timeframe, until the national emergencies concluded.  


After the national emergency has been lifted, Southeast Alaska Tribes will be able to meaningfully
fulfill their role as cooperators and provide a comprehensive review of the pre-public rule
documents at that time.  Such action would be consistent with the President’s emergency
declaration to improve public engagement and build goodwill with many stakeholders during these
unprecedented and challenging times.


Sincerely, 

Terri Parr
Executive Director

LTR.Tongass.SecPurdue.2020Download

Representative Deb Haaland (D-NM) speaks at an evening event on the eve of the ATNI Winter Convention

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 January 26 at 9:50 PM · Portland · 

ATNI – Portland, OR. Representative Deb Haaland (D-NM) speaks at an evening event on the eve of the ATNI Winter Convention. Also pictured L-R: Rudy Soto (Shoshone-Bannock), candidate for Congress in Idaho’s 1st District; Matt Tomaskin (Yakama), 1st Vice President, WA Native American Caucus, and; Barbra Lewis (Lummi) 3rd Vice President of the WA Native American Caucus.