Additional Speakers! National Native American Heritage Month Webinar

Wednesday, November 8, 2023

2:00-3:00 pm ET

On Wednesday, November 8, Inclusiv will be hosting a webinar in recognition of National Native American Heritage Month. We will be joined by a presenters from the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis’ Center for Indian Country Development (CICD), Otoe-Missouria FCU and Clearwater CU.

The Center for Indian Country Development supports the prosperity of Native nations and Indigenous communities through actionable data and research that make substantial contributions to public policy. During the webinar we will have an opportunity to learn about CICD data tools, research on access to credit in Indian country, and recent CICD research on Native CDFI lending practices. We will also be joined by two credit unions, Otoe-Missouria FCU and Clearwater CU, sharing how their work directly serves indigenous communities.

If you are not able to attend live, please feel free to register to receive the recording after the event.

Leilani Harpole

President and CEO, Otoe-Missouria FCU

For the past 27 years, Ms. Harpole has been active within the credit union industry. She has held executive positions in both small and large credit unions and volunteered her time to both industry and community organizations. Her service as director, trustee, and committee member includes the Credit Union Association of Oklahoma, Sand Springs Chamber of Commerce, OCUPAC, the Green Country Chapter of Oklahoma Credit Unions, and the American Cancer Society. Ms. Harpole holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Missouri Southern State University, and she is an honor’s graduate of Southwest CUNA Management School. She continues to serve the credit union industry as President and CEO of the Otoe-Missouria FCU, a de novo credit union that she organized and obtained a NCUA charter for in 2019. This credit union proudly serves the people and community of the Otoe Missouria Tribe.

Maria Valandra
Vice President Community Partnerships, Clearwater CU

Maria Valandra has 25- plus years’ experience in the banking industry and community development. Currently, she is the VP Community Partnerships for Clearwater Credit Union where she heads up their newly formed Indigenous Strategy where she collaborates with Native CDFI’s, tribal organizations and MT Tribal nations to support the need for capital, financial education and encourage more Indigenous into the financial industry. Previously she was the Business Development Officer at Island Mountain Development Group, where she worked on special projects ranging from procedure development to mentoring non-profits and creating a foundation. She managed the Montana Department of Commerce’s Office of Indian Country Economic Development. In this position, she oversaw a variety of technical assistance and grant programs that target projects aimed at strengthening the economy and building strong communities of tribal nations in Montana by developing and enhancing business opportunities, creating access to capital, and creating jobs.

John Morseau
Senior Policy Analyst, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis

John Morseau currently serves as a Member at Large on the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Tribal Council. Mr. Morseau previously served as Tribal Council Treasurer as well as Treasurer for the Board of Directors of the Pokagon Band’s Four Winds Casino enterprise during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to his Tribal Council service, Mr. Morseau also works as a Senior Policy Analyst for the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis’s Center for Indian Country Development (CICD). Mr. Morseau’s policy and research areas cover issues related to accessing capital within Indian Country and other economic development related topics. Mr. Morseau is a licensed attorney and earned a JD from the University of New Mexico School of Law.