Business | National | Politics

Updated witness list for SCIA hearing on economic development

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

The efforts of the Caddo Kiowa Technology Center, a jobs training facility, will be highlighted at the hearing. Photo from CKTC

The Senate Indian Affairs Committee is holding a field hearing in Oklahoma tomorrow.

Sen. James Lankford (R-Oklahoma), a new member of the Senate and of the committee, will chair the hearing. It will focus on the successes and challenges facing Indian- and tribally-owned businesses.

“This field hearing is a great opportunity to hear firsthand from Native American entrepreneurs and it will give the committee helpful insight into what else we can do to spur economic growth for tribes and their members," Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyoming), the chairman of the committee, said in a press release. "It will also clearly highlight the challenges that business owners still face and what else can be done to help them. Economic development is a priority of the committee. We’ll continue to focus on this important topic because job growth will help create a higher quality of life in Indian communities.”

The trip to Anadarko, Oklahoma, where Native Americans represent nearly 49 percent of the population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, marks the committee's third visit to Indian Country this year. Lawmakers have visited reservations in Wyoming and Montana to focus on public safety and energy development.

The hearing takes place at 4:30pm at the Anadarko High School Auditorium. It will not be webcast but the written testimony will be posted on the committee's website.

The witness list follows:

•Mr. Sean Kouplen
Chairman/CEO-Regent Bank; Chairman of the Board, OneFire Holding Company, Tulsa, OK
•Mr. Frank Narcomey
President, -Southwind Construction Services, LLC, Edmond, OK
•Mr. Dennis Ruttman
CEO/Superintendent-Caddo Kiowa Tech Center
•Ms. Dottie Overal
District Director-Small Business Administration
•Lieutenant Colonel Clark Southard
Executive Director-Washita Valley Regional Partnership; Chairman, Oklahoma Southwest Alliance; & Vice Chairman, Delaware Nation Economic Development Authority, Chickasha, OK

Committee Notice:
Oversight Field Hearing on "Advancing Economic Success in Indian Country" (May 27, 2015)