Indianz.Com > News > ‘We need to do some healing’: New leader of National Congress of American Indians vows unity
‘We need to do some healing’
New leader of National Congress of American Indians vows unity at milestone convention
Monday, November 20, 2023
Indianz.Com
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana —
The new leader of the nation’s largest inter-tribal advocacy organization is calling for unity and healing following a well-attended but sometimes contentious milestone meeting here.
In his first remarks as president of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), Mark Macarro vowed to lead with consensus as the organization concluded its 80th annual convention on Friday. The weeklong event, which drew more than 2,000 people to Louisiana’s largest city, featured a closely-watched election and debate on controversial amendments that some viewed as divisive.
“We’ve had some tough discussions this week,” Macarro, the long-time chairman of the Pechanga Band of Indians, said after being sworn in as NCAI’s president at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. “We need to do some healing. We need to create a way to move forward together.”
A day prior, Macarro narrowly won election as president of NCAI with just over 50 percent of the vote of members. He defeated two other prominent tribal leaders for the position: Cheryl Andrews-Maltais, the chairwoman of the Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe, and Marshall Pierite, the chair and chief executive officer of the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe.
![Mark Macarro and Fawn Sharp](https://indianz.com/News/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/20/MarkMacarroFawnSharp.jpg)
![Mark Macarro, Brian Weeden, Nickolaus Lewis and David Woerz](https://indianz.com/News/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/20/MarkMacarroBrianWeedenNickolausLewisDavidWoerz.jpg)
![National Congress of American Indians](https://indianz.com/News/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/20/NationalCongressofAmericanIndians.jpg)
Holsey, the president of the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians, said non-profits typically set aside about 65 percent of their budgets for salaries. “So it wasn’t a number that we just pulled out,” she told Tuell. “It was something [we approved] so that we could attract the type of talent that we needed.” As of Monday, NCAI has eight job openings, according to its employment listings that were posted in September and October. If all the positions were filled, it would bring the organization to nearly 50 employees, a figure that was cited as contributing to the salaries called for in the budget. According to Macarro, NCAI had 270 member tribes registered for the convention, a number that he said came from Wright, the executive director. More than 2,000 people attended, making the 80th annual one of the largest events in the organization’s recent history. “We need to find a way to stay together and do our best for all of us, for Indian Country,” Macarro said on Friday. “And so, that’s our goal.” Macarro succeeds Fawn Sharp, who served two consecutive terms as president of NCAI. She was only the third woman in the organization’s history to win election as president. She currently serves as vice president of the Quinault Nation.“Perseverance is in our DNA”: Shannon Holsey, Treasurer for National Congress of American Indians, presents fiscal year 2024 budget for @NCAI1944 at 80th annual convention in New Orleans, Louisiana. Slide shows budget of more than $10.8 million. #NCAI80 pic.twitter.com/FMc8FsqH12
— indianz.com (@indianz) November 16, 2023
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