JAMES MILLS /President
For a quarter century, tribal leaders and decision-makers from across Indian Country have turned to James for his personalized consulting and leadership training. A master parliamentarian, James got his start in Indian Country hosting classes on Roberts Rules of Order. In 1990, he founded DCI, and soon after, began specializing in tribal enrollment software development and training. Today, he is one of Indian Country's leading experts in tribal enrollment policy and tribal constitutional revision.
James travels year-round to tribal communities, Alaska Native villages and First Nations and Aboriginal reserves working with councils and boards on various sovereign nation-building initiatives.
Prior to working in Indian Country, James was a hospital administrator in New York City and a music producer in Los Angeles. He was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York.
BRENDA BRAINARD / Instructor
Brenda is a senior instructor for CSN/DCI America's conferences, workshops, and on-site trainings.
Brenda is Miluk Coos and an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians. She is a graduate of the University of Oregon School of Law and an attorney, having practiced in the area of Indian Law for over 35 years. She has extensive background in the area of enrollment, constitutions and constitutional revisions, strategic planning, jurisdiction, Indian Child Welfare Act, Robert's Rules of Order, Ordinances, Policy and Planning and Management. and Education.
In addition, Brenda is a traditional storyteller and a basket weaver.
KAREN HALL / Tribal Enrollment Specialist & Instructor
Ms. Hall is an active member of the Consortium of Native American Parliamentarians and a senior associate consultant & trainer with CSN/DCI America. Ms. Hall is also a member of CSN's tribal enrollment reconstruction and audit team. Her expertise in implementing training and technical assistance ranges from Tribal Enrollment Issues to Robert’s Rules of Order, office management, computer, supervisory training, and a variety of other related issues such as; time-management, mediation, and board-staff relationships in team building.
In the past, she has held administrative positions within the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, where she helped develop tribal enrollment policies and procedures.
NANCY GARCIA / Tribal Enrollment Specialist
(Tohono O'odham)
Nancy is an enrolled citizen of the Tohono O'odham Nation and a member of the CSN tribal enrollment reconstruction and audit team. She also leads enrollment workshops and discussion groups focused on a wide range of tribal membership-related issues.
For 30 years Nancy served as Director of the Tohono O’odham Tribal Enrollment Department managing citizenship issues for an estimated 20 thousand people living in both the US and Mexico.