Our Board

Oweesta has a six-member Board of Directors, most of whom are Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian. The board consists of a diverse representation from Native communities, including different Tribes, geographic areas, community and Native leaders, and business and professional representatives. Oweesta does not have an advisory board, but has advisory committees with board participation that provide input on different programs. The board recommends and appoints new members. The executive committee consists of the chairman, president, treasurer, secretary and heads of the various committees.
Chair

Robin Danner

Hawaiian, Kauai

Robin Danner is native Hawaiian from the island of Kauai. She is the founding President and CEO of the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA), a non-profit dedicated to supporting Native Hawaiian communities and the organizations that serve them. Robin was raised on the Navajo, Hopi and Apache reservations of Arizona and lived 25 years among the Inupiat Eskimo of Alaska.

Danner has extensive management experience in the not-for-profit, business and government sectors, including 13 years as Vice President of the National Bank of Alaska; three years as Executive Director of an Indian Housing Authority that served 8 federally recognized tribal governments; and three years as the Director of Housing for one of the largest municipal governments in Alaska. She is the Vice Chairman of the State Council of Hawaiian Homestead Associations, a Director on the Board of the Inter-Tribal Economic Alliance, a member of the Waianae Hawaiian Civic Club, serves on the Hawaii Advisory Committee of the Human Rights Commission, and oversees the operation of the Native Hawaiian Economic Alliance. She has received the Alaska Governor’s Volunteer of the Year Award and the Small Business Minority Business Advocate of the Year from the state of Hawaii. Her expertise is in public and private administration, business and community development with a specialized focus on rural and Native American populations.

Vice Chair

Derek Valdo

Acoma

Since 2005, Mr. Valdo has served as a councilman for his Tribe, the Pueblo of Acoma, and continues to fulfill his appointment. In addition, he also participates on the Acoma Business Enterprises Board of Directors, the National Indian Child Welfare Association Board of Directors, and the Notah Begay III (NB3) Foundation Board of Directors.

Mr. Valdo’s numerous accolades reflect his vision and leadership. Mr. Valdo has been named to Indian Country Media Network’s esteemed list of 50 Faces of Indian Country, the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development’s 40 Under 40, and among Albuquerque Business First’s Top 10 CEOs. Under Valdo’s leadership, AMERIND Risk has experienced growth of over 65%, resulting in its five best years of financial performance. Mr. Valdo attended Stanford University and obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Economics with a minor in Management cum laude from the University of New Mexico.

Secretary/Treasurer

Susan Hammond

Penobscot Nation

Susan Hammond, a Penobscot Nation tribal member, is the long-standing Executive Director of Four Directions Development Corporation.  As one of the founders, Ms. Hammond has been involved with FDDC since the earliest planning stages, beginning in the fall of 2000. Susan graduated from the University of Maine at Orono with a BS in Business Administration. Prior to Four Directions, she worked for the Penobscot tribe for ten years in various positions including the Vocation Education Coordinator for the Economic Development Department, the Financial Manager for the Health Department and the Director of the Tribal Housing Authority.

She has completed training from the National Development Council, Fannie Mae, and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston. She served on the Penobscot Nation Tribal Council from 1996 to 2004 and was President of the Board of Alnabak Corporation, (later Olamon Industries) a tribally affiliated plastic injection molding company.

In 2003, Susan was awarded the Maine SBA Minority Small Business Advocate of the Year Award. She is the first-ever recipient of the Visionary Leader Award from the Opportunity Finance Network/Oweesta Corporation and in 2010 received the Circle of Honor Award from the Opportunity Finance Network / Oweesta Corporation.

Member

Rodger Boyd

Navajo

Mr. Boyd is the former Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Native American Programs (ONAP), Department of Housing and Urban Development. The ONAP provides several programs, including the Indian Housing Block Grant (a formula block grant program providing funds for affordable housing) and two loan guarantee programs for housing development and home ownership. In addition, ONAP administers the Indian Community Development Block Grant Program. Recipients of all these funds include 564 federally recognized Indian Tribes, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians. In addition, ONAP provides home ownership opportunities through Section 184 and 184(A) mortgage guarantees.

Prior to this position, Mr. Boyd was Program Manager in the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, Department of the Treasury. As Manager of the Fund’s Native American program, he designed and  directed the  Fund’s congressionally mandated Native American Lending Study. He also initiated the Fund’s Native American Technical Assistance and Training Program to encourage the establishment of Native-owned community development financial institutions (CDFIs) in Indian reservations, Alaska Native villages, and Native Hawaiian communities.

Throughout his career, Mr. Boyd has worked with Indian Tribal governments, Federal agencies, and the private sector in developing economic development opportunities to establish self- sustaining reservation economies. His work has included the development and implementation of Federal Indian policies, economic and community development ventures, housing, and business development. As a private consultant, his professional services included reservation strategic economic development planning and technical assistance in creating commercial businesses, Tribal corporations, and housing development.

Mr. Boyd is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation and holds a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of New Mexico and a Master of City and Regional Planning degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Member

Fran Lutz

Fran currently holds the position of Managing Partner for True Path Advisory Group. He previously held position the Chief Financial Officer for Opportunity Finance Network (OFN) from 2012 until 2019.  He also served as the interim CEO of OFN during the transition of its iconic leader from 2017-2019. Fran has served over 20 years as a senior leader in the financial services industry, specializing in international banking, structured finance, cash management, capital markets, and wealth advisory services. His banking career spans both community banks and the largest banks in the world. Most recently, Fran was Group CFO for a private multinational group of diversified businesses operating globally in the healthcare, IT, real estate, and manufacturing industries. Fran lived, worked, and traveled extensively overseas and serves on the board of several nonprofit, educational, and religious organizations. He is married with two children, two dogs, and two cats. He is an avid outdoorsman.

Member

Jeff Bowman

Mohican

Mr. Bowman has over 30 years in the banking industry, with the majority of his career working in bank management and commercial lending positions. He specializes in helping small businesses, providing technical assistance that includes financial consulting, obtaining financing for projects and feasibility analysis.

Mr. Bowman is currently President and CEO of Bay Bank, in Green Bay, Wisconsin a tribally owned bank with the Oneida Indian Tribe of Wisconsin.  He is also active with several organizations that facilitate economic development and small business development. He specializes with assisting and capitalizing minority businesses, particularly Native American-owned small businesses.

CONTACT US

Oweesta Corporation
2432 Main Street, 1st Floor
Longmont, CO 80501
303.774.8838
info@oweesta.org

Oweesta is an equal opportunity employer and provider. We do not discriminate, learn more here: Title VI, Section 504.

ABOUT OWEESTA

Oweesta is the longest standing Native CDFI intermediary offering financial products and development services exclusively to Native CDFIs and Native communities. Specifically, Oweesta provides training, technical assistance, investments, research, and policy advocacy to help Native communities develop an integrated range of asset-building products and services, including financial education and financial products.

Asset-building tools stimulate reservation economies by providing tribal members the opportunity to acquire financial management skills and build and accumulate assets through small business creation, homeownership, education, and much more.

STAY CONNECTED

Join our Newsletter