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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 30, 2006
PRESIDENT THOMAS ADDRESSES VILLAGE MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE
 Village
Management Institute (VMI) Coordinator, Professor Dennis Demmert,
recently invited Tlingit Haida Central Council President, Edward
Thomas to speak to VMI participants on the intricacies and challenges
of managing a tribal government in Alaska.
The VMI provides representatives of municipal governments, tribal
governments, and other persons interested in managing governments
the opportunity to learn things like grant writing, program management,
personnel management issues, and the politics related to managing
governments in Alaska. They spend several weeks on the Sheldon Jackson
campus in a classroom setting to learn practical, academic approaches
to management while discussing with presenters practical experiences
in organizational management.
President Thomas began his remarks by reviewing the history of
the Tlingit and Haida people in the Southeast Alaska region. He
feels that it is important for people to know the Tlingit and Haida
history if they are to understand our approaches to managing our
tribal government.
The Tlingit and Haida people have always governed themselves. We
have a rich history of changing with the times. In traditional times
we relied on clans and communities for governmental needs, and in
contemporary times we were the first in Alaska to adapt to federal
principles (used for recognizing tribes in the United States) and
manage our way into Self-Governance under many of those same laws.
Most VMI participants were very interested in learning about how
different the Native organizations in Alaska are. They were also
interested in the discussions on the different characteristics of
management and leadership. Pure management is characterized by defining
functions designed to “get the job done.” Weaving leadership
skills into management is necessary to envision future needs and
solutions, and to lead the organization through new challenges.
It is refreshing that the VMI incorporates Native organization
and tribal governments into their curriculum. This paves the way
to a more complete understanding of us by local public officials.
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Media Contact:
Jodi Wolf – CCTHITA Publications
9097 Glacier Highway, Ste. 206
Juneau, AK 99801
Tel. 907/463-7123
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