NPTEC Candidate – Seat 2: Leotis McCormack
Name: My Nez Perce name is “Haama Niix Hacwal Piimna,” and my English name is Leotis S. McCormack
Spouse: My significant other is Mary R. James, who is an enrolled member of the Yakama Nation and a descendant of the Nez Perce Tribe.
Children: I’m a father to seven beautiful children: Kaylee (26), Josiah (22), Sakoya (20), Elijah (18), Paisley (14), Opal (9), and my late daughter Cora Lynn McCormack, who sadly passed away on August 27, 2022. My children are all enrolled members of the Nez Perce Tribe. Our family also includes two spoiled dogs named Red and Thunder!
Parents: I am the son of the late Arnold “Otis” McCormack and Juda Pinkham (Leighton).
Grandparents: My paternal grandparents are the late Arnold McCormack and Marceline Holt, while my maternal grandparents are Josh Leighton Sr. and Darlene Pinkham (Greene).
Education: I hold a bachelor’s degree in criminology and criminal justice from Portland State University, with a focus on criminal analysis and an advanced certification in this field. Throughout my undergraduate studies, I concentrated on analyzing criminal statistics and exploring the relationship between criminal behavior and the trends and impacts of community services.
Experience:
I have dedicated myself over 20 years to serving the Tribe in various roles, including natural resources, housing, public policy, public safety, and gaming. My expertise lies in data evaluation and program development, alongside managing the day-to-day operations of public safety and policy. I have spent much of my adult life in a law enforcement role within the unique Tribal community, beginning my career in 2008 with the Nez Perce Tribe. I served in this capacity until I was elected to the Nez Perce Tribal Executive Committee in 2013; however, I maintained my police credentials as the Police Chaplain and Chairman of the Law and Order and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee throughout my entire term.
In 2013, I was selected to serve on the Nez Perce Tribal Executive Committee, where I chaired the Law and Order and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee. This committee provided policy oversight for the entire law and justice branch of the government. Our group led budget and policy initiatives regarding all emergency management, justice, and regulatory issues. During my tenure with the Executive Committee, I served as the Nez Perce Tribe’s S.P.O.D. representative for the Columbia River Intertribal Fish Commission table. I served as Secretary for CRITFC and the delegate for the 15 Tribes Coalition for the Columbia River Treaty negotiation process with Canada. This participation allowed me to represent and testify at every level of government from local to national tables carrying forward the issues and insight of the Nez Perce Tribe and other coalition Tribal Nations.
In 2014, I was the first Nez Perce Tribal Member to receive the prestigious National Center for American Indian Economic Development 40 under 40 National Leadership Award for my work in Food Sovereignty, Human Services and Treaty impacts to Public Policy. I was nominated by the Center for Native American Youth where I served as a mentor and advocate for Youth Leadership initiatives in Indian Country and Father Involvement. This was a result of our Watch D.O.G.S. (Dads Of Great Students) program development with the Lapwai School District and Mega Loads Opposition.
I have established strong relationships with numerous delegates and their staff members, ranging from tribal to state and federal partners across the country. This experience has enabled me to engage deeply with various policy-level issues affecting Tribal Government, including budgetary and personnel matters. I have a comprehensive understanding of the Tribe’s fiscal responsibility and budget management process, which extends to granting agencies, tribal policies, and, ultimately, the community members themselves. During my time with the Nez Perce Tribe, as well as with other government agencies and sales companies, I have accumulated over 19 years of experience in management-level supervision, focusing on budget and policy coordination both as a staff member and as a policy executive.
For three years as an executive committee member, I held the responsibility of the Tribes US. V. Oregon regulatory council delegate. This committee met to establish regulatory policies that would be implemented in the continuous management of the Columbia River system. I spoke and presented the strategy of the Nez Perce Tribe and would represent the 4 treaty tribes to ensure that our intrinsic Treaty Reserved rights and sovereignty were always captured within the management plan. This included issues with Tribal Enforcement and the ever-growing presence of tribal members in the in-lieu sites along the river and the issues that arise from that presence with our intertribal police agency.
What you hope to bring to the NPTEC Table:
With my years of experience fighting and serving the Nez Perce Tribe in its endeavor to expand and protect Tribal Sovereignty, I wished to bring my experience to the policy table to impact laws, policies and practices that reflect that the heart of our people. For so long we have seen the real-life impacts of policy decisions that have not captured the rights and laws our people have fought to protect. We have witnessed outside jurisdictions infringe on our civil rights with no protection from our own Tribe and left to defend ourselves. We have literally been criminalized for standing up for our own Treaty Rights and witnessed leadership take little to no stances against it.
I will support robust revisions of codes that include protections of our Tribal Treaty Rights and resist any language or efforts that infringes on them. I will support Tribal Preference Policy language that will reflect the sovereignty of our people and support the advancement of our educated tribal members and families. I hope to provide them a place to serve their own people instead of having to turn them away.
I will support economic development strategies that expand our abilities using our treaty language and sovereign status as an anchor to do so. We have so much that we can utilize in a strategic way that could catapult our Nez Perce People into an even greater atmosphere than we already are. Ensuring that we have a long-term strategic goal of economic authority in this region and a plan to support it. Putting attention to comprehensive and robust Tribally Specific contingency plans in any potential events of natural disaster or government shutdown, ensuring that as a people we can always continue forward regardless of what’s going on around us.
In all, I will apply my experiences and heart with a consistent approach and application of laws and policies. I will support and champion any changes in laws and policies that are in the best interest of our people and in line with the membership. I promise to always be as transparent and honest as I possibly can with the facts regardless of how it may look or appear to myself. I appreciate even being considered it would be a great honor to again serve you at the NPTEC Table.