Indianz.Com > News > National Congress of American Indians confirms ‘absence’ of highest staffer
![Dante Desiderio](https://indianz.com/News/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/13/DanteDesiderio.jpg)
National Congress of American Indians confirms ‘absence’ of highest staffer
Monday, June 13, 2022
Indianz.Com
The National Congress of American Indians confirmed the “absence” of its highest-ranking executive as tribal leaders meet for the organization’s first in-person meeting in more than two years.
According a statement issued late in the evening on Saturday, Dante Desiderio was placed on an “administrative leave of absence” from his role as Chief Executive Officer of the largest inter-tribal advocacy organization in the United States. The decision was “effective yesterday,” which was the same day Indianz.Com reported on his sidelining ahead of NCAI’s mid-year meeting in Alaska.
“While we acknowledge the timing of this leave is inopportune given that the NCAI Mid-Year Convention commences on Sunday, June 12, the Executive Committee, the governing body of NCAI, agrees that placing the CEO on a temporary administrative leave is necessary and proper to fulfill their fiduciary governance duties and to abide by NCAI’s policies and procedures,” President Fawn Sharp said in the statement.
Sharp, however, would not explain the nature of Desiderio’s absence. He joined NCAI as its highest-ranking executive only about a year ago, raising fresh questions about the organization’s stability and standing.
“Thank you in advance for understanding that we are not in a position to share more information regarding Desiderio’s leave and for respecting his privacy,” said Sharp, who also serves as vice president of the Quinault Nation.
Amid the concerns, NCAI’s statement on Saturday characterized the CEO’s sidelining as “appropriate” — even if the reasons behind it remain largely unknown. One tribal leader who serves on the executive committee told Indianz.Com on Sunday morning that little information has been presented to the governing board so far. “Desiderio has not separated from the organization and his leave is appropriate under the organization’s policies governing the current situation,” NCAI said in the statement, which referred inquires to an outside public affairs firm, rather than the organization’s communications team. But with Desiderio out of the picture for an unknown amount of time, NCAI’s “important day-to-day work” is being handled by a team of employees, according to the statement. The team consists of Dr. Yvette Roubideaux, a citizen of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe who runs the organization’s Policy Research Center; Larry Wright, Jr., a citizen and former chairman of the Ponca Tribe who is in charge of engagement with Indian nations; and Warren Hope, the director of finance at the Embassy of Tribal Nations in Washington, D.C. “NCAI is confident that the leadership stepping in will ensure that the Mid-Year Convention is a success and that operational tasks are carried out with integrity,” the statement read.
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