38th Annual Meeting and Conference

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Speakers

Tina Farrenkopf

Serving as Associate Director is Tina M. Farrenkopf, J.D., a member of the Passamaquoddy Tribe of Maine, who brings years of tribal court administration experience to the Center. Tina has also earned an MBA from the University Of Maine at Orono and is a graduate of Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH. Tina is the former Clerk of Courts for the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Clerk. Prior to that, she served as the Court Administrator and Clerk of Court for the Passamaquoddy Tribal Court. She has also served as the Co-Chair of the United South and Eastern Tribes Inc.'s Tribal Justice Committee. Additionally, she has vast experience as a grant writer and resource developer. Tina's special area of expertise is in case management and court technology.

Thomas Dibble

Thomas started his career in court administration with the Alabama Administrative Office of the Courts. His concentration in records, forms and case processing procedures promoted standardization throughout the state. He moved back to his native Minnesota and worked for the Supreme Court in a similar project before going with the National Center for State Courts where he spent twelve years as a court management consultant and organizer of the first three national conferences on court technology. Tom authored A Guide to Court Records Management, published in 1985 which has served as a resource to assess records programs and position courts to adopt automated techniques for case management and records keeping. He moved to the Superior Court of New Jersey in Newark as the Civil Division Manager in 1993 and assumed his present role in the Operations Division in 1995. As Vicinage Records Manager he established an off-site records center and organized records related projects in all divisions of the court. He serves on vicinage and state level committees in operations and records management and has been active in both the National Association for Court Management and the Mid Atlantic Association for Court Management.

David Raasch

Chief Judge of the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohicans located in central Wisconsin. First elected in 1995, Dave was re-elected in 1997 to an eight-year term. Dave, currently, is the President of the Wisconsin Tribal Judge's Association, an association that has served as a model for developing State/Tribal/Federal Court relationships. He has served on the Menominee Supreme Court, The Lac Du Flambeau Appellate Court as well as an Appellate Judge for the Oneida Appeals Commission. In addition, Dave served as the administrator of the City of Green Bay Municipal Court for nearly 20 years, retiring January 01, 2004. Dave founded the Wisconsin Municipal Court Clerk's Association and served as its first president. Currently, Dave is the Tribal Project Coordinator for Fox Valley Technical College's Criminal Justice Center for Innovation. Prior to becoming involved in the court systems, Dave served six years as a police officer. In his limited free time he enjoys biking, fishing and playing the guitar.

Eugenia Tyner-Dawson

Eugenia Tyner-Dawson is the Senior Advisor to the Assistant Attorney General for Tribal Affairs, and the Executive Director, Justice Programs Council on Native American Affairs. She is a member of the Sac and Fox Nation and is a descendent of the Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma. Ms. Tyner-Dawson has worked in law enforcement and has an extensive background in serving tribal governments and tribal organizations. For 11 years, she worked with her own tribe, directing numerous tribal programs encompassing community development, housing, social services, education, substance abuse prevention, and food and nutrition, and also served as a planner, grants writer, self-governance coordinator/negotiator, volunteer deputy court clerk, and reserve police officer. In 1998 Ms. Tyner-Dawson began work with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), where she served as the Senior Advisor for Tribal Affairs, working on tribal issues and the implementation of the HHS tribal consultation policy. She also supported the HHS Intradepartmental Council on Native American Affairs. She served as the Acting Deputy Director of the IHS, supporting the management of the $3.7 billion national health care delivery program for approximately 1.6 million of the nation's 2.6 million American Indians and Alaska Natives. Most recently, Ms. Tyner-Dawson served as the Associate Director for Planning and Policy Coordination for the Office of Minority Health. She has an Associate of Arts degree in Business Administration.

Eugene White-Fish

The Honorable Eugene White-Fish is completing his third consecutive term as President of the National American Indian Court Judges Association. Judge White-Fish is currently Chief Judge of the Forest County Potawatomi, located in Wisconsin and is a representative for NAICJA Region 10.

Carey Vicenti

Carey N. Vicenti, a former Chief Judge of the Jicarilla Apache Tribal Court has extensive experience in several tribal courts that gives him a wide range of experience with legal and judicial systems in Indian country. Judge Vicenti is a member of the Jicarilla Apache Nation in Northwest New Mexico. He is a graduate of Oregon State University, B.S., and of the University of New Mexico, School of Law. A Visiting Professor at Arizona State University, in the School of Justice Studies and the College of Law, Vicenti currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Sociology, at Fort Lewis College, in Durango, Colorado that serves 700 American Indian students out of a student body of 4,200. In addition to his teaching he sits as a judicial official in the following capacities: Chief Justice of the Court of Appeals, Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan; Associate Justice of the Yavapai-Apache Nation Court of Appeals; Associate Justice of the Court of Appeals, Pascua Yaqui Tribe of Arizona.

Majel Russell

Majel Russell has been appointed to the number two position at the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Russell, a member of the Crow Tribe of Montana, joined the BIA as principal deputy assistant secretary on August 20. Russell used to work for the Crow Tribe as in-house counsel. "My career has been about seeking to improve the quality of life in tribal communities and improving the quality of tribal governance through modernization and reform," Russell said. Russell is the second woman to hold the principal deputy position.

Joe Garcia

Joe Garcia is the President of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), the largest national Indian organization representing over 250 member Tribal Nations from throughout the United States. Actively involved in NCAI since 1995, Joe Garcia served two, two-year terms as the 1st Vice President of NCAI prior to being elected President in November of 2005. Joe just completed his 3rd term (Jan 2005- Dec 2006) as Governor of Ohkay Owingeh (San Juan Pueblo), located in northern New Mexico. After his term as Governor he was elected as Chairman of the All Indian Pueblo Council (AIPC), the organization which was formed in 1598 and serves the 19 Pueblos of New Mexico. He will serve as Chairman for 4 years (2007-2011). Joe Garcia was born and raised in Ohkay Owingeh and continues to serve his community in traditional, educational, tribal government, and economic development efforts.

Melody McCoy

Melody McCoy joined the Native American Rights Fund (NARF) as a staff attorney in 1986. At NARF, Melody works primarily in the areas of jurisdiction in Indian country, tribal rights in education, tribal trust funds, and tribal intellectual property rights. Melody is a past Co-Chair of the Federal Bar Association's Indian Law Conference, 1990-1992. She served as President of the Colorado Indian Bar Association from 1990-1992, and a Board Member of the American Indian Bar Association (now the National Native American Bar Association) from 1990-1991. She was a member of NARF's Litigation Management Committee from 1992-1995. Melody received her undergraduate degree from Harvard University (1981) and law degree from the University of Michigan (1986). She is admitted to practice law in Colorado and Massachusetts. She has practiced before all levels of tribal and federal courts, including arguing a case before the U.S. Supreme Court. Melody is an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma.

Robert Brown

Mr. Brown's work experience includes over 28 years in the fields of education, corrections, law enforcement and federal grants management. He came to the Bureau of Justice Assistance in 1987 and since then has worked to develop and implement national, state, tribal and local initiatives through BJA's Discretionary and Formula Block Grants. Presently his duties focus on advising BJA's director and executive staff on policies and procedures to better prevent and control crime, violence and substance abuse and improving the functioning of criminal justice systems in Indian Country. BJA accomplishes this by providing leadership, good management, and quality services in grant administration as well as criminal justice policy development to American Indian and Alaska Native communities. Mr. Brown began his criminal justice career in 1976 as a correctional counselor for Polk County Court, in Iowa's Fifth Judicial District. In 1977 he was selected for employment by the Polk County Sheriff's Department, in Des Moines, IA and served as a correctional officer, hearing officer, patrolman and as the lead community service officer. Bob obtained is B.A. degree from Drake University and is a certified peace officer graduate of Iowa's Law Enforcement Academy.

Angelo Trimble

Angelo Trimble serves as Court Liaison for the Alabama Coalition Against Domestic Violence in the development of coordinated community responses to domestic violence and resources for judicial officials. He leads the Alabama Coalition's efforts on the Southeastern expansion of the Passport to Safety project, and is a primary partner in the national extension of Project Passport led by the National Center for State Courts. He is retired from the Alabama Administrative Office of Courts, having served for 17 years as director of the Municipal Court Division and 2 years as director of the Judicial Study Commission. Mr. Trimble serves as a resource to the Alabama Judicial College. He has served on local, state and national committees and projects and has compiled technical booklets and articles in the area of Domestic Violence, including the booklet "Domestic Violence: Peace on Earth Begins at Home". He was the principal staff writer for the workgroup on the compilation of guidelines for the Alabama judiciary on handling domestic violence cases. He has served in various roles related to domestic violence for the Alabama Law Institute, National Center for State Courts, National Criminal Justice Association, Family Violence Prevention Fund, Battered Women's Justice Project, and National Council for Juvenile and Family Court Judges.

Timothy Walker

A proud member of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation (MPTN), Tim is a veteran of the US Air Force serving as a computer programmer during the Panama Conflict and the Persian Gulf War. The MPTN Peacemakers Council is a traditional civil, domestic and employment mediation board that provides a cultural alternative to the modern Mashantucket Tribal Court. Tim was elected to the Peacemakers Council in the fall of 1995 and was elected Chairman of the Peacemakers Council in April 2006. In 2000 the Eastern Tribal Court Judges Association (ETCJA) elected him to represent the Northeastern Tribes as a member of the NAICJA Board of Directors. Tim was elected Treasurer of NAICJA in 2002. He stepped down from the Board in 2004 in order to focus more of his energy into helping his tribe.

Gerald Cavis

A 27-year veteran of law enforcement, Gerald A. “Gerry” Cavis is a security consultant and national security specialist with expertise in facility security and event management. Since retiring from the U.S. Secret Service in 2004, Gerry has brought a wide range of knowledge and skills to the public and private sector. Currently, Gerry serves as the National Security Specialist at Fox Valley Technical College (FVTC) where he is responsible for curriculum development and training for the college’s nationally-recognized law enforcement and Criminal Justice Center programs. Gerry provides a diversity of specialized and grant assisted training in all areas of Safe and Secure communities, Tribal law enforcement and Courthouse Security Planning and Development. Gerry is a recognized expert in multi-agency partnership building and planning, pro-active prevention and effective response and recovery contingencies. A founding member of the National Native American Law Enforcement Association, Gerry has also been the association President. Gerry also served on the Board of Directors for the National Indian Youth Police Academy.

Mark Tilden

Mark C. Tilden (Navajo), formerly with a private law firm, joined the nonprofit Native American Rights Fund as a staff attorney in September 1994. He represents tribal governments on federal recognition, administrative law, water law, environmental law, Indian gaming law and economic development, legislative advocacy at the state and federal level, Indian child welfare and protection services law and tribal governance.  He is the author of a soon-to-be-published book titled "Tribal Constitution Handbook, A Practical Guide to Writing or Revising a Tribal Constitution." He is also the project manager and lead attorney on the development and publication of  "A Practical Guide to the Indian Child Welfare Act." He is admitted to practice law in Colorado, New York and the District of Columbia, as well as several federal and tribal courts.

Monica Martens

Monica Martens joined the nonprofit Native American Rights Fund as a law librarian in October 2001. She coordinates technical services for NARF's National Indian Law Library and co-manages NARF's various web sites. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism and Communications from the University of Florida, a Master of Arts degree in Sociology from Colorado State University, and a Master of Science degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois. She frequently presents programs and writes articles about Indian law research. In 2006, she was awarded the Public Access to Government Information Award for the library's work in making its unique collection of tribal laws accessible online. She is a member of the Library and Information Technology Association, the American Association of Law Libraries, and was inducted into the honor society of Phi Kappa Phi.

Jill Tompkins

Appointed December 1, 2001, Jill Tompkins brings a wealth of experience to the position of Director of the Indian Law Clinic. A graduate of the University of Maine Law School, she is admitted to practice in the States of Maine, Connecticut, and Colorado and three tribal courts. She has more than eleven years of experience with federal Indian and tribal law garnered through her legal practice, service as a Chief Judge with the Mashantucket Pequot and Passamaquoddy Tribal Courts, and as Appellate Justice with the Mashantucket Pequot, Passamaquoddy, and Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Courts of Appeal. Professor Tompkins taught at the National Judicial College, and for six years successfully organized and taught in the annual National Tribal Judicial Conference sponsored by the National American Indian Court Judges Association. Professor Tompkins comes to the CU Law School from the National Tribal Justice Resource Center, where she was the Executive Director.

Catherine Bryan

Catherine Bryan, J.D. M.A., Legal Analyst, a member of the Navajo Nation, joined the Resource Center in September 2004, after graduating from the University of New Mexico School of Law (Class of 2004) with Clinical Honors for her work in the Southwest Indian Law Clinic and as the recipient of the Mary Beth and W. Richard West, Jr. Award for Excellence in Indian Law. Ms. Bryan's focus at NTJRC has centered on tribal child support enforcement (TCSE). She assists tribes in applying for federal grants to fund TCSE Programs through grant writing, conducting training workshops for tribal court staff, and providing additional technical support to tribes in the development of their TCSE Programs. In her former life, Ms. Bryan obtained an M.A. in French Literature, taught lower level French university courses for several years, and traveled to France to work and study. Ms. Bryan enjoys meeting and working with tribes interested in expanding the scope of their justice systems.