Moderator Margo Gray opened the panel session “Tribal Women Driving Profits and Purchase in Indian Gaming” with some bad news. Gray stated that the Office of Indian Energy had just got “DOGE’d” by the Department of Government Efficiency.
“Sixty percent of all energy in the United States lies on Indian hands. So I’m going to see how far the DOGE group realizes what they just did,” said Gray, a senior vice president for Magnum Marketing Tuesday during the Indian Gaming Association Tradeshow & Convention in San Diego, California. “But they also did something else. They talked about DEI. Two of the (laid-off employees) were women and DOGE said they got their jobs because of diversity. If we start believing what they tell us, the numbers decrease in here. I want you to take that message back and tell people you know. We need to continue to fight. We’re here too.”
Tuesday’s panel decision discussed at length the importance of tribal women, not defining their roles, but indicating that the possibilities were limitless.
Yonne Tiger, the president of Show Nation and an attorney with Tiger Law, noted that though the pay is good with multiple benefits, it’s important to remember whom tribal women are working for and should always look forward.
“You’re working for people who haven’t been born yet,” Tiger said. “We also have to think about our future and how we progress. Right now, some of the funding is at risk, so we have to be self-sufficient. Look at what’s best for the community, for all of our people, and not just one representative, then continue to have empathy and to look to the future and stay strong.”
Fortune Bay Casino General Manager Elizabeth Keegan stated that it’s important to remember that while casinos are supposed to be profitable, they should also take care of their communities, whether it’s via food or healthcare.
“Making sure you take care of your employees, that’s the number-one thing you can do,” Keegan said. “You’re making sure that they feel like they’re part of the team, like they’re there to help you make those decisions, to make sure that we’re moving in the right direction.”
“Every decision I make, I’m like what is this going to affect, or what is this going to hurt, or is this going to make things better,” said Melanie Heskett, Indian Sky Casino general manager in Oklahoma. “I’m always thinking forward.”
