{"id":26047,"date":"2022-07-11T14:40:19","date_gmt":"2022-07-11T18:40:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/News\/?p=26047"},"modified":"2022-07-11T14:53:28","modified_gmt":"2022-07-11T18:53:28","slug":"national-congress-of-american-indians-loses-another-high-ranking-staffer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2022\/07\/11\/national-congress-of-american-indians-loses-another-high-ranking-staffer\/","title":{"rendered":"National Congress of American Indians loses another high-ranking staffer"},"content":{"rendered":" <a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2022\/07\/11\/national-congress-of-american-indians-loses-another-high-ranking-staffer\/yvetteroubideaux\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-26063\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" data-attachment-id=\"26063\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2022\/07\/11\/national-congress-of-american-indians-loses-another-high-ranking-staffer\/yvetteroubideaux\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/11\/YvetteRoubideaux-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1707\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;ILCE-7M3&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1571761740&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;200&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;1600&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.004&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Yvette Roubideaux\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Yvette Roubideaux&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Yvette Roubideaux has served as director of the National Congress of American Indians Policy Research Center since April 2017. Photo by &lt;A href=&quot;https:\/\/twitter.com\/Kevin_Abourezk&quot;&gt;Kevin Abourezk&lt;\/A&gt; &lt;A href=&quot;https:\/\/twitter.com\/Kevin_Abourezk&quot;&gt;&lt;I aria-hidden=true class=&quot;fab fa-twitter&quot;&gt;&lt;\/I&gt;&lt;\/A&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/11\/YvetteRoubideaux-1024x683.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/11\/YvetteRoubideaux-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Yvette Roubideaux\"   class=\"size-full wp-image-26063\" \/><\/a> <figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Yvette Roubideaux has served as director of the National Congress of American Indians Policy Research Center (PRC) since April 2017. Photo by <A href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Kevin_Abourezk\">Kevin Abourezk<\/A> <A href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Kevin_Abourezk\"><I aria-hidden=true class=\"fab fa-twitter\"><\/I><\/A><\/figcaption>\r\n<div class=\"h3-responsive font-weight-bold\">National Congress of American Indians loses another high-ranking staffer<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"date\">Monday, July 11, 2022<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"byline\">By Acee Agoyo<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"source\">Indianz.Com<\/div>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nThe <a href=https:\/\/www.ncai.org>National Congress of American Indians<\/a> is bidding farewell to one of its highest-ranking employees this week.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nYvette Roubideaux, a citizen of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, is due to step down as director of <a href=https:\/\/www.ncai.org\/prc>NCAI&#8217;s Policy Research Center<\/a> (PRC) on Friday. She has served in the <a href=https:\/\/www.ncai.org\/news\/articles\/2017\/04\/26\/ncai-names-dr-yvette-roubideaux-as-new-director-of-policy-research-center>leadership role since 2017<\/a>, one in which she oversaw a small staff that focuses on the  ways in which tribal, federal and state  policy affect Indian Country.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nRoubideaux&#8217;s departure has long been in the works, owing primarily to family obligations. An NCAI spokesperson confirmed that she is leaving to take care of her elderly mother,  as indicated  in a  resignation letter she  previously submitted to the largest inter-tribal advocacy organization in the United States.\r\n<P><\/p>\r\nQuoting from the resignation letter, the   NCAI spokesperson told Indianz.Com  that Roubideaux, who  previously served as director of the <a href=https:\/\/www.ihs.gov\/>Indian Health Service<\/a>,  is &#8220;leaving to &#8216;focus and take care of her 91-year old mother.'&#8221;\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<div class=\" content_cards_card content_cards_domain_indianz-com\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"content_cards_image\">\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_image_link\" href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2022\/06\/13\/national-congress-of-american-indians-confirms-absence-of-highest-staffer\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/10\/embassyoftribalnations-scaled-3.jpg\" alt=\"National Congress of American Indians confirms \u2018absence\u2019 of highest staffer\">\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_title\">\n\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_title_link\" href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2022\/06\/13\/national-congress-of-american-indians-confirms-absence-of-highest-staffer\/\">\n\t\t\tNational Congress of American Indians confirms \u2018absence\u2019 of highest staffer\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_description\">\n\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_description_link\" href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2022\/06\/13\/national-congress-of-american-indians-confirms-absence-of-highest-staffer\/\">\n\t\t\t<p>Dante Desiderio is taking an &#8220;administrative leave of absence&#8221; at the National Congress of American Indians for reasons not being disclosed.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_site_name\">\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/favicon.ico\" alt=\"Indianz.Com\" class=\"content_cards_favicon\"\/>\t\tIndianz.Com\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nRoubideaux&#8217;s exit comes as NCAI  continues to operate without the presence of its highest-ranking employee. Just a month ago, the organization announced that Chief Executive Officer Dante Desiderio had been placed on administrative leave ahead of its first in-person conference in more than two years,  as <a href=https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2022\/06\/10\/national-congress-of-american-indians-heads-into-meeting-amid-disarray\/>Indianz.Com reported on June 10<\/a>.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n The NCAI spokesperson confirmed that  Desiderio   remains on   leave, though no public explanation has been provided for his absence. He was <a href=https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/04\/13\/national-congress-of-american-indians-set-to-announce-new-chief-executive\/>hired only a year ago<\/a>.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nAt the time of the development, Roubideaux was   named to an &#8220;internal&#8221; leadership team  was <a href=https:\/\/www.ncai.org\/news\/articles\/2022\/06\/11\/ncai-statement-on-ceo>placed in charge of the organization in absence of the CEO<\/a>. At the time, though,  NCAI already knew the PRC director was going to be stepping down, according to a former employee.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nThe former NCAI employee told Indianz.Com that  Roubideaux submitted her resignation letter after her only two remaining staff members &#8212; both Native women &#8212; recently quit  the organization.  The <a href=https:\/\/www.ncai.org\/policy-research-center\/about-prc\/staff>staff page for the PRC<\/a> currently lists just one employee.\r\n<P><\/p>\r\nThe two Native women&#8217;s names have since been removed from the <a href=https:\/\/www.ncai.org\/about-ncai\/ncai-staff>main NCAI staff page<\/a> &#8212; though not until after they had long left the organization, according to the same former employee.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n <a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2022\/07\/11\/national-congress-of-american-indians-loses-another-high-ranking-staffer\/ncaipolicyresearchcenter\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-26069\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1922\" height=\"1828\" data-attachment-id=\"26069\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2022\/07\/11\/national-congress-of-american-indians-loses-another-high-ranking-staffer\/ncaipolicyresearchcenter\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/11\/NCAIPolicyResearchCenter.png\" data-orig-size=\"1922,1828\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"National Congress of American Indians Policy Research Center\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;National Congress of American Indians Policy Research Center&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;The staff page for the National Congress of American Indians Policy Research Center (PRC) currently lists just one employee &amp;#8212; Yvette Roubideaux. The two staff members she previously oversaw as director of the PRC recently left the organization. Screenshot taken June 11, 2022.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/11\/NCAIPolicyResearchCenter-1024x974.png\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/11\/NCAIPolicyResearchCenter.png\" alt=\"National Congress of American Indians Policy Research Center\"  class=\"size-full wp-image-26069\" \/><\/a>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">The staff page for the National Congress of American Indians Policy Research Center (PRC) currently lists just one employee &#8212; Yvette Roubideaux. Two staff members she previously oversaw as director of the PRC recently left the organization. Screenshot taken June 11, 2022.<\/figcaption>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nThe delay in keeping the staff page updated speaks to an issue that some tribal leaders have raised in their complaints about Desiderio. Since he came on board in June 2021, some 19 employees have left &#8212; meaning that  half of the employee base at NCAI has seen turnover in the past year.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nIn stories published on June 10 and on <a href=https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2022\/06\/10\/national-congress-of-american-indians-heads-into-meeting-amid-disarray\/>June 13<\/a>, Indianz.Com reported that at least 15 employees had left the organization. The figure was based on  reviews of changes made to NCAI\u2019s staff page since Desiderio was hired.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nBut after being informed by the  former employee about the delays in updating the page and about  the turnover  at the PRC, Indianz.Com found that an additional four people had left the organization. The number confirms the figure of 19 that had been previously cited by another person close to the situation.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n Roubideaux&#8217;s departure now brings the total to 20,  accounting for the loss of at least  one employee every month since Desiderio came on board at NCAI.\r\n<P><\/p><div class=\"mt-1 mb-1\"><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block; text-align:center;\" data-ad-layout=\"in-article\" data-ad-format=\"fluid\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8411603009680747\" data-ad-slot=\"6394965691\"><\/ins><script>(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/script><\/div><p><\/p>\r\nAccording to the NCAI spokesperson, the organization&#8217;s <a href=https:\/\/www.ncai.org\/about-ncai\/ncai-leadership\/executive-committee>executive committee<\/a> has held at least two  meetings to discuss Desiderio&#8217;s employment status. The  group consists of tribal leaders from across Indian Country, a number of whom attended the conference in Alaska where the CEO was absent.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nA tribal leader who sits on  the executive committee and  who attended the <a href=https:\/\/www.ncai.org\/events\/2022\/06\/12\/2022-mid-year-conference-marketplace>mid-year conference and marketplace<\/a> in Anchorage  told Indianz.Com that little information has been  provided about Desiderio&#8217;s leave. The person said that at least one meeting to discuss the situation was abruptly postponed, with the group being told of the need to seek legal advice about employment matters.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nAmid the uncertainty, NCAI has continued to serve as a voice for issues affecting Indian Country, especially regarding the slew of <a href=https:\/\/www.supremecourt.gov\/>U.S. Supreme Court<\/a> decisions that were released in the past month. Last Thursday, tribal leaders gathered to discuss the <a href=https:\/\/www.ncai.org\/events\/2022\/07\/07\/ncai-narf-to-hold-roundtable-discussion-on-castro-huerta-decision-2-00pm-edt>impacts of the controversial ruling in <em>Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta<\/em><\/a>.\r\n<P><\/p>\r\n<a href=https:\/\/twitter.com\/presfawnsharp>NCAI President Fawn Sharp<\/a>   happened to be in Washington, D.C., when <em>Castro-Huerta<\/em> was released on June 29, on the second to the last day of the high court&#8217;s session. She was   participating in meetings at the <a href=https:\/\/www.ncai.org\/about-ncai\/embassy-of-tribal-nations>Embassy of Tribal Nations<\/a>, which serves as the organization&#8217;s headquarters and where Desiderio and other on-the-ground employees maintain offices. \r\n<p><\/p>\r\n&#8220;When the news broke,  we were all in disbelief as we sat there in the embassy,&#8221; Sharp said during   the <a href=https:\/\/youtu.be\/TJkKoMrp47s> <em>Castro-Huerta<\/em> roundtable<\/a> that NCAI co-hosted with the <a href=https:\/\/www.narf.org\/>Native American Rights Fund<\/a>, the non-profit legal firm.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<div class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\">\r\n<div class=\" content_cards_card content_cards_domain_youtu-be\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"content_cards_image\">\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_image_link\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/TJkKoMrp47s\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/09\/maxresdefault-193.jpg\" alt=\"The Castro-Huerta Decision: Understanding the Case and Discussing Next Steps\">\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_title\">\n\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_title_link\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/TJkKoMrp47s\">\n\t\t\tThe Castro-Huerta Decision: Understanding the Case and Discussing Next Steps\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_description\">\n\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_description_link\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/TJkKoMrp47s\">\n\t\t\t<p>An NCAI-NARF Roundtable ConversationThursday, July 7, 20222:00 &#8211; 3:30 p.m. EDTThe National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) and the Native American Rights&#8230;<\/p>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_site_name\">\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/s\/desktop\/64df006f\/img\/favicon.ico\" alt=\"YouTube\" class=\"content_cards_favicon\"\/>\t\tYouTube\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\"> National Congress of American Indians: <a href=https:\/\/youtu.be\/TJkKoMrp47s>The Castro-Huerta Decision: Understanding the Case and Discussing Next Steps<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nBy a vote of 5 to 4, the justices held that the <a href=https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2022\/06\/29\/u-s-supreme-court-decision-in-oklahoma-v-castro-huerta\/>state governments can prosecute non-Indians who commit crimes against Indian victims<\/a> in Indian Country. The ruling comes even though tribes &#8212;  particularly those in Oklahoma, where the case emerged  &#8212; did not consent  to an imposition on their sovereignty.\r\n<P><\/p>\r\n&#8220;The Supreme Court&#8217;s decision is nothing less than a direct attack on the sovereignty of all tribal nations,&#8221; said Sharp, who also serves as vice president of the <a href=https:\/\/www.quinaultindiannation.com\/>Quinault Nation<\/a>, based in the state of Washington.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nSharp is serving in the second term of her presidency at NCAI, having won re-election during the <a href=https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/10\/14\/national-congress-of-american-indians-elects-leadership\/>organization&#8217;s annual conference in 2021<\/a>. The meeting took place virtually due to the <a href=\/covid19\/>COVID-19 pandemic<\/a>. Before that, the last in-person gathering for NCAI had occurred in February 2020 in Washington, D.C.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nAfter Desiderio&#8217;s absence was reported by Indianz.Com, NCAI issued a statement  a day later on June 11 in which Sharp said the executive committee placed him on  &#8220;temporary administrative leave.&#8221; She added that &#8220;we are not in a position to share more information&#8221; about his employment situation.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<div class=\"h4-responsive\">Related Stories<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"related-story\"><a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2022\/06\/29\/an-attack-on-tribal-sovereignty-tribal-organizations-respond-to-u-s-supreme-court-ruling\/\" title=\"\u2018An attack on tribal sovereignty\u2019: Tribal organizations respond to U.S. Supreme Court ruling\">\u2018An attack on tribal sovereignty\u2019: Tribal organizations respond to U.S. Supreme Court ruling<\/a> (June 29, 2022)<\/div><div class=\"related-story\"><a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2022\/06\/16\/shauna-hegna-alaska-native-corporations-serve-tribal-communities\/\" title=\"Shauna Hegna: Alaska Native corporations serve tribal communities\">Shauna Hegna: Alaska Native corporations serve tribal communities<\/a> (June 16, 2022)<\/div><div class=\"related-story\"><a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2022\/06\/13\/national-congress-of-american-indians-confirms-absence-of-highest-staffer\/\" title=\"National Congress of American Indians confirms \u2018absence\u2019 of highest staffer\">National Congress of American Indians confirms \u2018absence\u2019 of highest staffer<\/a> (June 13, 2022)<\/div><div class=\"related-story\"><a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2022\/06\/12\/harold-frazier-national-congress-of-american-indians-must-support-our-sovereignty\/\" title=\"Harold Frazier: National Congress of American Indians must support our sovereignty\">Harold Frazier: National Congress of American Indians must support our sovereignty<\/a> (June 12, 2022)<\/div><div class=\"related-story\"><a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2022\/06\/10\/national-congress-of-american-indians-heads-into-meeting-amid-disarray\/\" title=\"National Congress of American Indians heads into meeting amid disarray\">National Congress of American Indians heads into meeting amid disarray<\/a> (June 10, 2022)<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The National Congress of American Indians is bidding farewell to one of its highest-ranking employees as the organization&#8217;s top executive remains on leave.","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":26063,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,20,13,1,14],"tags":[78,5,101,1156,346,128,121,223,210,397,138,8,7,127,623,544,220,84,44,1897],"class_list":["post-26047","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-indian-trust","category-law","category-national","category-politics","tag-alaska","tag-coronavirus","tag-crime","tag-dante-desiderio","tag-dc","tag-elders","tag-employment","tag-fawn-sharp","tag-ihs","tag-jurisdiction","tag-meetings","tag-narf","tag-ncai","tag-oklahoma","tag-quinault","tag-rosebud-sioux","tag-sovereignty","tag-supreme-court","tag-women","tag-yvette-roubideaux","no-wpautop"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/11\/YvetteRoubideaux-scaled.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcoJ7g-6M7","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26047","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26047"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26047\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26063"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26047"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26047"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26047"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}