{"id":10163,"date":"2021-04-13T11:04:46","date_gmt":"2021-04-13T15:04:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/News\/?p=10163"},"modified":"2021-04-16T10:31:59","modified_gmt":"2021-04-16T14:31:59","slug":"national-congress-of-american-indians-set-to-announce-new-chief-executive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/04\/13\/national-congress-of-american-indians-set-to-announce-new-chief-executive\/","title":{"rendered":"National Congress of American Indians set to announce new chief executive"},"content":{"rendered":"\"embassyoftribalnations\"\r\n
The Embassy of Tribal Nations, home to the National Congress of American Indians, is located at 1516 P Street NW in Washington, D.C. Photo by Indianz.Com (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n
National Congress of American Indians set to announce new chief executive<\/div>\r\n
Tuesday, April 13, 2021<\/div>\r\n
By Acee Agoyo<\/div>\r\n
Indianz.Com<\/div>\r\n

<\/P>\r\nWASHINGTON, D.C — The National Congress of American Indians<\/a> is expected to announce a new chief executive officer as soon as this week.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nFawn Sharp<\/a>, the president of the NCAI, recently told a group of Indian women leaders that a candidate was in the process of being hired. She did not name an individual but said to expect news soon from the nation’s largest inter-tribal advocacy organization.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nNCAI’s press team did not respond to a request for comment about the timing of the announcement. The organization has been without a top executive for almost five months, following the surprise departure of Kevin Allis<\/a> last November.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nBut multiple sources in Indian policy circles in the nation’s capital believe the top candidate for the job is Dante Desiderio, who hails from the Sappony Tribe<\/a>, located in Virginia and North Carolina. He currently serves as executive director of the NAFOA<\/a>, one of the leading finance and economic development organizations in Indian Country.\r\n

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<\/p>\r\nDesiderio is well-respected for his work at NAFOA, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic<\/a>. The organization has kept tribal nations informed about many of the fast-moving legislative, legal and policy developments that have occurred during much of the past year.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n“Dante will be solid,” one prominent tribal official told Indianz.Com, speaking on the condition of anonymity because a formal announcement from NCAI hasn’t been made.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nAllis, a citizen of the Forest County Potawatomi Community<\/a>, was hired as chief executive officer of NCAI<\/a> in June 2019. At the time, his selection was hailed as a “new chapter” for the organization that has defended tribal sovereignty and tribal interests since 1944.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nYet Allis shocked tribal leaders when he announced his pending resignation during NCAI’s annual conference<\/a>, which took place virtually, in early November 2020. He said he would stay on board during a transition period while a new chief executive officer was selected.\r\n

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