On Saturday, June 8, the Cheyenne River Youth Project® held its annual end-of-fiscal-year board meeting at its East Lincoln Street campus in Eagle Butte, South Dakota. Not only was it a rare opportunity for all board members to visit with CRYP staff in person and hear detailed presentations from all departments, the board voted to elect new officers and add a new director.
After more than 10 years of service, CRYP Board President Betsy Mitchell and Vice President Peggy Gallipo chose to step down from their respective offices. Replacing Mitchell as president is Holly A. Annis, an enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and the CRST tribal attorney.
Annis is a graduate of the University of North Dakota, where she earned Bachelor of Arts degrees in American Indian studies and communications, and she is a graduate of the University of North Dakota School of Law. During her time at the university, she was the chapter vice-president of the Native American Law Student Association; she was involved with Building Roads into Diverse Groups Empowering Students (BRIDGES) and the Campus Committee for Human Rights (CCHR); and she founded the Indian Studies Association.
Prior to her to return to Eagle Butte, Annis worked as the director of the University of North Dakota’s Native Media Center. She also was the publisher of Native Directions, the only native newsmagazine on campus, with distribution on every reservation in North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota, and she served as editor and consultant for two children’s books for Lerner Publishing: Sitting Bull by Susan Bivin Aller and The Sioux by Michelle Levine.
Replacing Gallipo as vice president is Jeremy Patterson, an enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and an attorney with Fredericks Peebles & Morgan LLP, a Native American law firm with offices in California, Colorado, Michigan, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota. He previously worked as a law clerk for both the Native American Rights Fund and the Native American Program of Oregon Legal Services.
Patterson is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin Law School and also holds an LL.M (Master of Laws) degree in American Indian and indigenous law from the University of Tulsa. As an LL.M candidate, Patterson studied at the Geneva Comparative Law Institute in Switzerland, hosted by current and former United Nations representatives. While at the University of Wisconsin, he served as vice-president of the Indian Law Student Association, co-organized the university’s annual Coming together of the People Conference and participated in a student exchange program with the University of Witswatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Continuing as treasurer for the 2012-13 fiscal year is Guthrie Ducheneaux, an enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and a lifelong resident of the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation. Ducheneaux is the information technology manager for Cheyenne-Eagle Butte Schools and is the founder and owner of Ducheneaux Computer Systems. He also is a member of the Ehanni Inc. Board of Directors and president of the Oceti Sakowin Education Consortium Board of Directors.
Continuing in his role as director is Stewart Sarkozy-Banoczy, the director of philanthropic research and initiatives of HUD’s Office for International and Philanthropic Innovation in Washington D.C. He most recently served as vice president and chief operating officer for Oweesta, based in Rapid City, South Dakota. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with majors in international business management and German, and an MBA in international management; he also is the founding executive director of Four Bands Community Fund and served on the board of the Sioux YMCA.
Joining him are CRYP veterans Mitchell and Gallipo, who chose to remain on the board of directors after leaving their officer roles. Past President Betsy Mitchell is an enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and a lifelong resident of the Cheyenne River reservation, and she has been a fourth grade teacher at the Cheyenne-Eagle Butte Upper Elementary School for nearly two decades. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in education with a minor in Lakota studies; she serves as the C-EB junior-high girls’ basketball; and she is a mentor teacher for the C-EB Elementary School.
Also an enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and a lifelong resident of the Cheyenne River reservation, Past Vice President Peggy Gallipo has been a speech language pathologist for the Bureau of Indian Affairs for nearly two decades. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in speech pathology and audiology and a Master of Science degree in speech language pathology. She is a member of Parent Connection and the State Youth Dakota Task Force to Establish Benchmarks for Early Childhood, and she co-authored research on culturally relevant language assessments.
Finally, to round out the board of directors, members voted to add Jeffrey Meyer for the next fiscal year. Meyer graduated from the University of South Dakota with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration, with an emphasis in finance. He also earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree in finance, with honors, from San Diego State University.
Meyer is a Chartered Financial Analyst® charterholder and is a member of the Chartered Financial Analyst Institute. He also holds the designation of Certified Financial Planner™ practitioner. He joined SeaCrest in 2008 and has more than 14 years of service in the financial services industry. Since moving home to South Dakota from California 10 years ago, Jeffrey has served on the board of directors for Catholic Social Services, and he remains on the finance committee. He has been an active member of Rushmore Rotary; in his time with Rotary, he has worked to support Storybook Island and served as youth exchange coordinator, member of the board of directors and member of various fundraising committees.
To learn more about the Cheyenne River Youth Project® and its programs, and for information about making donations and volunteering, call (605) 964-8200 or visitwww.lakotayouth.org. And, to stay up to date on the latest CRYP news and events, visit the youth project’s Facebook “Cause” page. All Cause members will receive regular updates through Facebook.
The Cheyenne River Youth Project®, founded in 1988, is a grassroots, not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing the youth of the Cheyenne River reservation with access to a vibrant and secure future through a wide variety of culturally sensitive and enduring programs, projects and facilities that ensure strong, self-sufficient families and communities.