January 24, 2018
BROOKS, CA (January 24, 2018) – The Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation has sworn into office new Tribal Chairman Anthony Roberts, Tribal Officers, and Council Members for a three-year term. The new, five-member Tribal Council was elected by the citizens of the Tribe at the annual Community Council meeting on Sunday, January 21.
The members of the newly elected Tribal Council are:
Anthony Roberts – Tribal Chairman. Seventh term on Council, four as Treasurer.
James Kinter – Third term as Tribal Secretary. Fourth term on Council.
Matthew Lowell, Jr. – Tribal Treasurer. Third term on Council.
Mia Durham – Council Member. Fourth term on Council.
Burnam R. Lowell, Sr. – Council Member. First term on Council.
“I am certainly honored to take on this position for our nation – serving alongside such talented, dedicated colleagues – and to follow in the footsteps of the great leaders who held this role before me,” said Chairman Roberts. “I have been involved in tribal government for many years now, and remain humbled by the opportunity to serve and by the trust placed in us by our citizens. We are guided by the path the leaders before us have set, with our sole focus on what’s best for our Tribe, today and tomorrow.”
Chairman Roberts served as a Council Member from 2000 to 2006 and as Tribal Treasurer from 2006 through 2018.
He succeeds Chairman Leland Kinter, who has chosen to return his full attention to teaching, leading Yocha Dehe’s efforts to restore the Tribe’s culture and its innovative programs to revive the Patwin language. A recognized leader in Native language education, Chairman Kinter has earned a California teaching credential for the instruction of Patwin.
“The past three years have been marked by incredible achievement for our Tribe,” noted Chairman Roberts. “And much of the credit for that success stems from the leadership of Chairman Kinter. From our historic new Tribal-State Gaming Compact to the long needed expansion of our Cache Creek Casino Resort hotel and so much more, his commitment to teamwork and partnership has led us to new heights. It is certainlyan honor to succeed him and we look forward to his continued, invaluable counsel and his stewardship of our cultural and language programs.”
Under the Tribe’s constitution, elections for Chairman, Tribal Secretary, Tribal Treasurer and two Council Members are held every three years. Leaders are chosen through open nominations and a popular vote of the adult citizens of the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation.
The Yocha Dehe Tribal Council is the governing body of the Tribe. It oversees all areas of the tribal government and its businesses, evaluating and making final decisions on the recommendations of all of the Tribe’s departments, committees and commissions.
Among them are:
- Governmental operations including education, health and wellness, fire and emergency services, Tribal Gaming Agency and cultural resource programs;
- The Yocha Dehe Community Fund, the Tribe’s philanthropic branch, which, since 2000, has distributed more than $30 million in grants and sponsorships to nearly 390 organizations; and
- Tribal business interests and investments, including the Cache Creek Casino Resort as well as Yocha Dehe Farm & Ranch and its Séka Hills Olive Mill and Tasting Rooms and growing brand of premium products.