LAWTON, OK – The Tribal Leadership Council (TLC) Board of Directors has announced the recipients of the 2025 Tribal Leadership Conference Awards. These individuals were selected for their outstanding leadership in Indian Country.
- The Lifetime Leadership Award was awarded to Rodney Youckton who serves as the Chief Community Relations Officer for the Chehalis Tribe.
- Lorilee Morsette received the Leader of Today Award. Morsette is a Tribal Council Member for the Suquamish Tribe, Chief Operating Officer for Indigenized Energy, and a Board Member for the National Native American Human Resources Association (NNAHRA).
- The Leader of Tomorrow Award was awarded to Dr. Crystal Miller. Dr. Miller is a member of the Walker River Paiute Tribe. She is the CEO of Sovereignty First Native Consulting Firm and Deputy Senior Advisor at the Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy.
“We are honored to be able recognize the achievements of Rodney Youckton, Council Member Morsette, and Dr. Miller for their outstanding leadership in Indian Country at the Tribal Leadership Conference,” said Justin Barrett, TLC President.
Three new awards this year also included: the Leader in Economic Sovereignty Award, the President’s Community Impact Award, and the Chairman’s Circle of Impact Award. The award recipients for these are:
- Leader in Economic Sovereignty Award – Tonto Apache Tribe for the Apache Corners Project
- President’s Community Impact Award – ROI Promotions presented to Liz Meyer
- Chairman’s Circle of Impact Award – AT&T presented to Julio Figuero
“We want to recognize the Apache Corners Project being developed by the Tonto Apache Tribe,” said Barrett. “This development underscores the importance that economic development has for rural tribes and communities. We want to thank ROI Promotions for their work with TLC, as well as acknowledge their contributions to other organizations including NNAHRA and the Washington Indian Gaming Association (WIGA) who received laptops from ROI for their scholarship recipients.”
Julio Figueroa serves as the Director of External & Legislative Affairs for Riverside, San Bernardino, and Inyo Counties, as well as the California and Nevada Tribal Liaison for AT&T. Through his work with AT&T, laptops have distributed to TLC, tribal colleges, and UNLV (University of Nevada, Las Vegas) students to help bridge the digital and technical divide that tribal communities face. In addition to that, they assist with labs on tribal reservations.
“The TLC Foundation wants to thank AT&T for their support in our local communities and the broader tribal community through their work with Native-led non-profits,” said Andrew “Dru” Alejandre, TLC Foundation Chairman. “We truly appreciate their partnership.”
