NAFOA (Native American Finance Officers Association) honored Chairman John “Rocky” Barrett as the Tribal Leader of the Year at its 43rd annual conference at the end of April in New Orleans.
Each year, NAFOA celebrates those who have had a lasting and positive impact on tribal economies, with the Tribal Leader of the Year award considered the highest honor for elected leaders. The award recognizes leaders who have “displayed significant foresight and resolve in the financial advancement” of their tribal nations.
“Visionary. Leader. Honored one. These are a few of the words which describe the chairman of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation,” CPN Chief Financial Officer Mary Chisholm said in her introduction of Chairman Barrett at the awards luncheon.
He received a standing ovation from attendees as he accepted his award, and he offered those present a heartfelt thanks of igwien.
Chairman Barrett thanked the members of the NAFOA board for the honor, CPN employees and management, especially those of the Tribe’s Sovereign Bank, several of whom attended the conference, and Tribal members who have allowed him to serve in office by voting for him for 11 terms.
During his speech, Chairman Barrett also spoke of the decisions all leaders make that have unfortunate consequences and how important it is to acknowledge those mistakes and learn from them.
“What we do not do, as is the current political fashion in other governments that we deal with, is just to deny that the mistakes ever happened and lie about the results and say what a great accomplishment they were,” he said.
Though identifying as a conservative, Chairman Barrett talked about how troubled he is by the current political environment.
“The ghastly impact of these first 100 days of this administration will be remembered as the time of the most self-destructive acts by the federal government in modern history,” he said.
He spoke of the resurgence of populist governments every two to three generations and how they serve as a threat, especially to tribal governments, and discussed what he believes to be the best path to navigate the current environment.
“We need to make ourselves, as governments, an indispensable part of those non-Indian communities with which we share territory,” Chairman Barrett said, explaining some of the ways CPN has partnered with surrounding communities, from operating a state-chartered rural water district to having CPN officers deputized to serve Pottawatomie County to paving and lighting roads.
“We hope that if and when the federal government acts to harm us in some way that both our tribal and non-tribal neighbors will come to our defense at the polls, because we are needed in the community and because we are essential to the quality of life for our neighbors. And that will be when America returns to its original, conservative values.”
Chairman Barrett closed by asking NAFOA officers to excuse his use of his speech to discuss politics.
“I ask your forgiveness, but I’m not alone in my alarm. It is based on over 40 years in tribal elected office, and 24 of those years in litigation with either the city, the county or the state of Oklahoma,” he said. “My advice will be held in as much value, I hope, as I hold your award in value. And I thank you from my heart for it.”