Welcome to the 16th Annual United Tribes Tribal Leaders Summit. We are pleased you are able to attend this year’s event.

This year’s theme is “Education Leading the Way to Sustainable Tribal Development: Energy Development, Infrastructure, Economic Development, Law Enforcement, and Environment”

We have humbly tried to cover some of the most pressing issues facing our Tribal Nations today. Since our needs are so great and varied from Tribal Nation to Tribal Nation we tried to incorporate some threads that interwoven between us all. In the past couple of years, we have experienced some unique opportunities in Energy development. With that comes growth and infrastructure development. The Oil Boom has impacted everyone within the state of North Dakota and especially some of our Tribal people.

This past week we have lost a very important supporter of our campus and Indian Country as a whole. Chairman Stanley Crooks of the Mdewakanton Dakota Sioux Community was a visionary and believed in giving back to the communities that aren’t so fortunate. He will be missed.

On a personal note, I wish to express my gratitude and appreciation to all the Tribal Leaders, participants and organizations for making the United Tribes Tribal Leaders Summit such a productive and beneficial gathering for all Tribal Nations in the region and in Indian Country. Pilamayapelo!