{"id":11922,"date":"2021-05-24T13:48:10","date_gmt":"2021-05-24T17:48:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/News\/?p=11922"},"modified":"2021-05-25T07:48:41","modified_gmt":"2021-05-25T11:48:41","slug":"national-congress-of-american-indians-ousts-first-native-attorney-over-zoom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/05\/24\/national-congress-of-american-indians-ousts-first-native-attorney-over-zoom\/","title":{"rendered":"National Congress of American Indians ousts first Native attorney over Zoom"},"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 ousts first Native attorney over Zoom<\/div>\r\n
\u2018I did my job and I did it well\u2019 says Navajo citizen Derrick Beetso<\/div>\r\n
Monday, May 24, 2021<\/div>\r\n
By Acee Agoyo<\/div>\r\n
Indianz.Com<\/div>\r\n

<\/p>\r\nWASHINGTON, D.C — \r\nThe National Congress of American Indians<\/a> has ousted the first Native person who served as its highest-ranking attorney, less than two weeks after a new chief executive officer came on board.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nDerrick Beetso, a citizen of the Navajo Nation<\/a>, was fired as NCAI’s general counsel on Friday. He reported his termination in a post on social media<\/a>.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n\u201cOn Friday afternoon I was fired via Zoom, with no notice or consultation, by NCAI’s new CEO, Dante Desiderio,\u201d Beetso wrote in the late-night post.\r\n

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<\/p>\r\nBeetso was the first Native person to hold the general counsel position at NCAI and had worked at the largest inter-tribal advocacy organization in the U.S. for nearly seven years total. He said he was fired for allegedly “undermining\u201d Dante Desiderio, whose first day on the job was May 11.\r\n

<\/P>\r\n\u201cWhen I asked for clarity on why I was being terminated, he said he had issues with how I reviewed contracts and that I was undermining his leadership at NCAI,\u201d Beetso continued.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nAccording to the social media statement, the contract at issue was one in which Desiderio had a direct interest. The business relationship has not been previously disclosed but questions about it apparently contributed to Beetso’s termination. \r\n

<\/p>\r\n\u201cThis contract was entered into before his employment at NCAI and while he was still employed at another organization,” Beetso said of Desiderio, who most recently served as executive director of NAFOA<\/a>, formerly known as the Native American Finance Officers Association.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n\u201cHe was clearly not an NCAI employee, and he was clearly not the CEO at that point,\u201d Beetso added, raising doubts about Desiderio’s leadership supposedly being undermined at a time when \r\n

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The National Congress of American Indians\u200b is expected to announce a new chief executive officer, its third in three years. #NCAI #NCAI1944 @NCAI1944 https:\/\/t.co\/1orNUaSWsg<\/p>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t

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<\/P>\r\nBeetso said he did in fact \u201cexpress concerns\u201d about the contract. He wondered \u201cwhether it was appropriate for NCAI to ask the Executive Director of another organization to perform duties that required access to confidential and proprietary information.\u201d\r\n

<\/p>\r\nHe further stated that the \u201cNative professionals at Indian Country Today\u201d were being mistreated as the contract at issue was being carried out. Indian Country Today<\/a> was previously owned by NCAI until it was transferred to an independent non-profit<\/a>, IndiJ, in late March.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nIt is not immediately clear, however, if the contract at issue is between NCAI and NAFOA, the organization, or between NCAI and Desiderio, who is listed as the \u201cprincipal officer\u201d for NAFOA on its tax filings<\/a>.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nBeetso, who had helped lead NCAI for about six months following the sudden departure of former CEO Kevin Allis, declined to comment further when contacted by Indianz.Com.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n \u201cMy statement included all I want to say for now, other than \u2018Honor, dignity and respect,\u2019\u201d said Beetso.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nDesiderio hails from the Sappony Tribe<\/a>, a state-recognized tribe whose community is based along the border of North Carolina and Virginia. Indianz.Com reported his imminent hiring at NCAI on April 13<\/a>.\r\n

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On #TakeYourChildtoWorkDay today, pull them up next to you and show them off to your video calls and coworkers! We can still bring them with us even working from home. Pictured: NCAI General Counsel Derrick Beetso and his children.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t

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<\/p>\r\n\u201cIn early April, via an Indianz article, I learned Desiderio was hired as NCAI’s CEO,\u201d Beetso noted. \u201cI was not part of the hiring process.\u201d\r\n

<\/p>\r\n\u201cAnd nine days into his role as NCAI CEO, Desiderio fired me, at least in part for legitimate concerns I expressed about a contract his company had with NCAI, prior to his employment at NCAI,\u201d Beetso said. \r\n

<\/p>\r\n\u201cI did my job and I did it well,\u201d he said. \u201cI was fired for it and NCAI’s Administrative Officers allowed for that to happen.\u201d\r\n

<\/p>\r\n Desiderio and NCAI have not yet responded to requests for comment placed during the noon hour, Eastern, on Monday.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nDesiderio was officially announced as CEO on April 15<\/a>, two days after the Indianz.Com story. The organization promised a \u201cpress briefing and virtual meet-and-greet\u201d with him in May, following his arrival at the Embassy of Tribal Nations, where NCAI is based in Washington, D.C.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n\u201cI look forward to serving once again at an organization I respect, and with a team that puts their whole heart into their work, and am ready to meet the challenges ahead,\u201d Desiderio said at the time. \u201cI thank the NCAI Board for the trust they put in me and for the opportunity to return to the Embassy and lead the NCAI team as we work together for the betterment of all of Indian Country.\u201d\r\n

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