Darla Leslie, former NAJA president.
Rhonda LeValdo, new NAJA president.
Shirley Sneve, former NAJA treasurer.
NORMAN, OKLAHOMA -- Following a recent behind-closed-doors meeting, the president of the Native American Journalists Association announced her resignation. Darla Leslie, a reporter and photographer for the Yakama Nation Review in Toppenish, Wash., resigned on November 12, during NAJA’s annual retreat in Norman, Oklahoma In a lengthy message posted Nov. 14 on Facebook, Leslie stated, “I believe NAJA is on the verge of financial ruin. My resignation is a reflection of the inability, in my opinion, of our Board of Directors to take immediate action to remedy this situation.” Leslie cited that “an audit (of NAJA’s finances) has not been completed since 2006” and that, under duress, she had to have “accountants attempt to reconcile three months of financial records” as factors apparently directly contributing to her resignation. “Accountability is my top priority,” Leslie said in the message. “I made a presentation (in executive session) after conducting a full financial investigation as to why I believe NAJA is on the verge of financial ruin.” She went on to say, “Understand, my resignation was a difficult one to make, as my love for this organization is wholeheartedly unquestionable. However, I can not continue on as a Board member or president when I neither have the confidence or support of other board members in upholding the trust and accountability to the membership that elected us. I will not (be) part of a board of (inaction), nor a President who will tolerate insubordination, indifference and casualness in maintaining the integrity of NAJA.” Leslie, a member of the Yakama Nation, has been with NAJA since 1998, defeating incumbent Rhonda LeValdo to serve as its president since July. In the wake of Leslie’s step down, LeValdo, who had been serving as vice president since July, has resumed her role as president. “I understand Darla Leslie’s frustration, but, at the same time, I myself made suggestions as to how we could save money and those ideas were voted down,” LeValdo told Native Sun News via email last Friday. “I know we have to do a lot more to tighten the budget and look for other avenues of money,” she stated. “Media companies are just not providing the money they use to for organizations like NAJA.” LeValdo is an adjunct faculty member within the media communications department at Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas. NAJA suffered an unaudited loss of $15,530.36 for the fiscal year that ended on Sept. 30, 2010, former treasurer Shirley Sneve said at the organization’s July convention in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. “Anything that I could say about (Darla Leslie’s) unfortunate resignation would be hearsay,” said Sneve in an email to NSN. “I was not able to attend the (retreat) in Oklahoma,” she said. “I will say that NAJA, like many other journalism organizations, is facing a decrease in revenues. The board, with the executive director, has put together a realistic plan to address this.” Sneve, who is a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, or Sicangu Lakota, currently serves as an at-large NAJA board member and is the executive director of Native American Public Telecommunications in Lincoln, Nebraska. Board member Brent Merrill, a member of The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, Oregon, also resigned during the Norman, Okla. retreat. “Brent Merrill, thank you for professionally standing up for your trust responsibility as a NAJA board member and your support in also resigning,” Leslie further said in her Facebook message. “Your actions as a true leader will speak louder than words, my friend.” In a public note from NAJA’s executive director, Jeff Harjo, LeValdo said, “The NAJA Board of Directors wishes to express its sincere gratitude to Darla Leslie and Brent Merrill fo their service to NAJA.” “Their presence will be missed,” she said in the note. Also in the wake of Leslie’s resignation, Harjo has addressed constituent concerns regarding NAJA’s financial state by posting a copy of the organization’s 2009-2010 fiscal year tax return and current bank statement figures on its website. The information was made public in the “interests of transparency and to maintain optimism,” according to Harjo. The University of Oklahoma-based NAJA currently has 247 members, said Harjo. “We are still gathering and compiling that information, however,” he said. “Those are the members who have paid their membership dues up to this point.” NAJA was established in 1984 by NSN’s retired founder, Tim Giago – as the Native American Press Association, The organization’s name was changed in 1990 to “better reflect the…broader goals and the inclusion of radio and television professionals among its members,” as indicated on NAJA’s website. Its primary goal is to “improve communications among Native people and between Native Americans and the general public.” “The work of the association addresses Native communications and encompasses a wide range of issues affecting the survival and the development of the Native media and native communications,” also according to NAJA’s website. “My findings are available for any member of (NAJA) to review,” said Leslie, in closing her Facebook message. “I just want to assure our members, we, the remaining board members, are not going to give up, and we are working together to raise more funds for NAJA,” LeValdo stated in the email to NSN. Former newspaper publisher (Lakota Times, Indian Country Today and Native Sun News), Tim Giago, Oglala Lakota, founder of NAJA was concerned about the turn of events. He said, “NAJA has gone through some trying times since I founded it in 1984. When I resigned a couple of new board members immediately tried to erase my name from everything. To this day the “About US” page of the organization does not have the true history of NAJA and I have spoken about it many times. A few years back I warned the board of directors that they were putting too many people on the board with the inability to raise money and I told them that they would pay for this down the road. I wish them the best and I am willing to help them all I can to get past this problem.” NAJA’s next scheduled convention will be held in conjunction with UNITY: Journalists of Color at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas from Aug. 1-4, 2012. (Contact Jesse Abernathy at staffwriter@nsweekly.com)
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