Amy Austin, representing General Membership

Amy Austin is a member of the Gun Lake Band of Pottawatomi Indians. She is married to Samuel Austin, who is an Ojibwa and has family in Hayward, Wisconsin. Sam is a member of the Lac Courte Oreilles. They have a 3-year old son, Nolan (born on Super Bowl Sunday). Amy also has a stepson, Jeffrey, who will be 16 June 2008. Amy grew up in the Bradley settlement area and graduated from Wayland High School in 1987. She also attended Lake Superior State University for Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement. Amy still would like to finish college and get her degree. She has changed her mind about being a cop but thinks working in the court system would be interesting and a great opportunity.

What interests Amy in this project is she has always had an interest in the legal system. This was the perfect opportunity for her to represent the membership and have a voice in what is going to be a big project and an important one. Amy wants to be involved. Amy likes working with the Project Advisory Team, and is amazed at how much she is learning.

Monte Davis, representing Environmental and Land Use

Monte attended Grand Valley State University and received a B.S. in Natural Resource Management with a major in Regional Planning.  In January 2005, Monte was hired by the Gun Lake Tribe as the Environmental Specialist with duties including radon testing of tribal members homes, developing a solid waste recycling program for the Tribal offices, etc.  His current projects include an invasive plant species inventory, helping the Department Coordinator Elizabeth Binoniemi-Smith on water quality testing of Boot and Indian Lakes. In the spring of 2005, Monte took over the responsibilities of the BIA Indian Reservation Roads (IRR) program, and in 2007, the Gun Lake Tribe entered into a co-op agreement with Allegan County and Wayland Township for the reconstruction of 6^th Street, a route that holds significant importance to the Tribe. Our share for this project was generated through your participation in the IRR program. 

In 1990, Monte married a Tribal member, Phyllis Davis, and has volunteered on several Tribal actives including annual cemetery clean up, annual fishing contest, golf outing, and always ready to help wherever he can.  He has also furthered his education at Michigan State University Extension, successfully completing the session of Citizen Planner Program, Allegan County series, February-April 2007 and also at Michigan State University Extension, successfully completing the Introduction to ArcGIS course, April 2008.  Monte serves on 2005 Environmental Committee, 2007 Land Use Committee, and 2007 Tribal Justice Advisory Team.

Jennie Heeren, representing General Membership

Dawn Krauss, representing Tribal Administrator and Elders

Dawn Krauss serves as the Tribal Administrator and has been with the Tribe since 1996. Her first position with the Tribe was an Administrative Assistant working on an ANA grant. Dawn continued working on grants until 2001 when she was promoted to the position as Head of Finance.  In the fall of 2003, Dawn was promoted to her current position as Tribal Administrator.

As Tribal Administrator, Dawn is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Tribal operations.  She is responsible to the Tribal Council to implement and carry out the policies, programs and goals of the Tribe.  Dawn acts as liaison to facilitate a communication network with the Tribal Council and tribal members and federal, state, public, and private agencies.  She is also responsible for all department activities as outlined by the organizational chart.

One of Dawn’s primary responsibilities is to the Tribal Council in carrying out the work of the organization, including the following specific functions: ensures that the Chairman, Tribal Council and the tribal membership are informed of all aspects of programs and services; attend to all Human Resources issues; attend all meetings of the Tribal Council and assigned committee meetings; responsible to conduct and carry our the day to day business of the Tribe; maintains on-going communication with all staff; maintains effective relationships with other Native American organizations in addition to federal, state, public, and private entities, community organizations and others in the best interest of the Tribe; maintain goals, objectives and all confidential aspects of the Tribe; and carries out other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

In 2003, Dawn graduated from Grand Rapids Community College with an Associates Degree in Business Management.  She has been married for 19-years to Graham and has five children with seven grandchildren (five boys and 2 girls) and another boy due in July.  Dawn takes great joy in working for the Tribe and considers it an honor to see the Tribe grow and become more self-sufficient.

Dawn Lenger, representing Tribal Justice Grant Coordinator/Project Leader

Dawn Lenger has been a member of the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians since the year 2000 and is currently serving as the Tribal Justice Grant Coordinator. Dawn comes to the Project Advisory Team with experience as the Legal Administrative Assistant to two senior partners at local Grand Rapids law firms and the former Police Administrative Assistant at the Hudsonville Police Department for a total of 10-years of experience in the legal field.

Dawn’s role as the Project Leader is to conduct extensive research of other Tribal Court systems in the Midwest region and throughout the United States, attend training focused specifically on Tribal Court system structures and Tribal Code development, and to develop a Tribal Court Code and a minimum of three other priority Codes as deemed necessary by research and community input. These roles are made possible through the teamwork of the Project Advisory Team. Dawn is excited about the work that the team is doing and is delighted to be working with such a great group of people who truly care about the future of this Tribe.

Nicole Overbeck, representing General Membership

Nicole Overbeck is a member of the Gun Lake Tribe and represents the membership while on the Justice Committee. She has worked at the tribal office since January 2005. Nicole started out as the Receptionist and now works as the Finance Clerk as well as the assistant to Chairman Sprague when needed. Nicole wanted to be a member of the Project Advisory Team Committee because she felt she needed to get more involved and what better opportunity than a new project!

Ed Pigeon, representing Language and Culture and Tribal Council

Ed is a member of the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians, whose cultural teachings were passed to him from childhood. Ed is a member of the Pigeon Family, Heritage award winners known for their Black Ash Basketry. Ed has over 10 years of involvement in cultural presentations and teaching activities throughout Michigan. He is currently employed as the Gun Lake Language and Cultural Coordinator, and in the course of his job provides language instruction through formal classes and in cultural workshops integrating language components.

Ed has been a member of the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians Tribal Council since 1999. He has helped shape the direction and growth of the Tribal Government during his time on Tribal Council. Ed sits on many boards and committees for the Tribe. Ed is also a board member for the Kalamazoo Poverty Reduction Initiative.

Leslie Pigeon, representing Health and Human Services  

Leslie Pigeon is employed as the Behavioral Health / Human Services Coordinator for the Gun Lake Tribe.  Leslie is working to develop programs respective of individual and community needs, cultural tradition, and law in the areas of mental health, substance abuse, Indian Child Welfare, prevention, and case management.  Leslie is married to tribal member Norm.  They are the parents of two adult sons, tribal members Adam and Jesse.  Leslie was an elementary school teacher assistant, prior to earning her Master’s Degree in Social Work in 2004.  She conducted an internship in the Crisis Department of Community Mental Health, and following graduation, continued with CMH as an Intake Worker and Therapist.  Leslie now holds a license to practice clinical social work in the State of Michigan.  She currently serves on the PaWaTing MeGedWin KiKaajik Senior Program Committee and Salem Indian Mission Administrative Council.

Judge Michael Petoskey

The Project Consultant is Michael Petoskey . He has been a judge for various Michigan Indian tribes since 1986. He began his judicial career with the planning, implementation and development of Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa & Chippewa Indians Tribal Court while he was a staff attorney for Michigan Indian Legal Services. Judge Petoskey is a Grand Traverse Band member and licensed Michigan attorney. He was the Chief Judge for his Tribe for over sixteen (16) years until his retirement. Judge Petoskey's career interest has been working with newly-reaffirmed tribes to plan, implement and develop their courts from nothing but a community dream.

The Gun Lake Band is the fifth Indian Tribe in Michigan for which he has done this kind of work. In addition to the Grand Traverse Band, he retired from the Little Traverse Band of Odawa Indians in 2006 after nine (9) years service as Chief Judge after starting the court there. Currently, Judge Petoskey is the Chief Judge for the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, as well as Chief Judge for the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi Indians where he has helped with the planning, implementation and development of the tribal judicial systems in both of those communities.

Chief Judge Petoskey has been Chief Justice of the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians Court of Appeals for the past ten (10) years. In addition, he completed six 6) years of service on the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan Court of Appeals in 2008. In 1992 the Michigan Bar Journal recognized Judge Petoskey as a Citizen Lawyer for his contributions in law to the tribal community. In 1997 he was named, along with eleven other attorneys, Lawyer of the Year Michigan Lawyers Weekly, a legal newspaper. In October 1999, the Grand Traverse Band Tribal Court was one of sixteen tribal programs nation-wide honored as an outstanding example of tribal governance by The Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University . In 2000 the American Indian Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan honored Judge Petoskey and Michigan Supreme Court Justice Michael Cavanagh with the Section's annual Tecumseh Peacekeeping Award for their leadership in moving Michigan state courts and tribal courts away from conflict and toward cooperation.

Chief Judge Petoskey received his undergraduate degree from Michigan State University in Economics in 1975 and his Juris Doctoratefrom the University of New Mexico in 1983. Chief Judge Petoskey lives in Traverse City; has been married twenty-five (25) years to his wife, Barbara; has two daughters - one at the University of Michigan and one at Michigan State University; and is a Viet Nam veteran having served as an infantry medic.