Board members are elected by the membership and serve staggered two-year terms. Members of this governing board are volunteers who hold financial management positions within their organizations and are members of a federally recognized tribe.

2011-12 Board of Directors:

William Lomax - President

Member of Gitxsan Nation
Phone: 917-669-3309
E-mail: (william at nafoa.org)

Bill Lomax has worked extensively with tribal governments over the last thirteen years as a financial advisor on Wall Street, portfolio manager for San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, and mediator in treaty negotiations. He now works in Silicon Valley as a director and Native American liason for the private equity firm Capital Dynamics

As NAFOA President since 2007, Bill has reinvigorated the organization, increasing the membership base by over 500%, implementing two new educational programs--the NAFOA high school summer student “Mini MBA” program and the ASU/NAFOA Tribal Financial Manager Certification Program. He has also increased NAFOA college scholarships for finance students from $500 per year to $10,000.

An enrolled member of the Gitxsan Nation, Bill is a graduate of Columbia Business School, where he was a Toigo Fellow, and a graduate of University of British Columbia Law School. He has also practiced law in a non-native related field.

VaRene Martin - 1st Vice President

Member of Thlopthlocco Tribal Town, Muscogee (Creek) Nation of Oklahoma
Senior Vice President Marketing
Pacific American Securities LLC
9191 Towne Centre Drive
San Diego, CA 92122
Phone: 619.322.9285
Email: (varene at nafoa.org)

VaRene Martin is an enrolled member of Thlopthlocco Tribal Town of the Mvskoke (Creek) Nation of Oklahoma, an active member of the San Diego American Indian Chamber of Commerce, a member of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) and Women Empowering Women for Indian Nations (WEWIN). VaRene attended Oklahoma State University and holds California Life Insurance, NASD Series 6, Series 7, Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. She has over 25 years experience in the financial and investment industries including managerial positions and most recently serving as SVP, Business Development for Pacific American Securities, LLC. San Diego, CA. with emphasis on institutional sales with focus on public funds and Native American marketing efforts.

Cristina Danforth - 2nd Vice President

Member of Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin
Treasurer
Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin
PO Box 365
Oneida WI, 54155
Phone: 920-869-4354
Fax: 920-869-4040
Email: (tina at nafoa.org)

Tina is presently serving her first term on the elected council/Oneida Business Committee as Tribal Treasurer for the Oneida Tribe of Wisconsin. She currently serves as Oneida Finance Committee Chair and as liaison to Bay Bank, a local Green Bay bank owned wholly by the Oneida Tribe. She has previously served on the elected council/Oneida Business Committee for nine years (1996-2005) as a councilmember, Vice Chairwoman and Chairwoman respectively. In addition, she has perpetual tenure as a tribal judge after serving on the Oneida Appeals Commission (2007-2008).

Tina is currently the Chairwoman of the Native American Bancorporation and has served in this capacity since 2007. She has been an integral supporter of the Native American Bank since its inception as the representative of the Oneida Tribe’s interest since formation. Before her appointment as Chair, she also served as the Vice Chair of the Native American Bancorporation since 2001. Tina is a graduate of University of Wisconsin-Green Bay with a Bachelor of Science in social work. She has extensive work experience in areas related to social services, economic development, business, and education. She was also a small business owner of the White Eagle Sports Bar & Grill, LLC located in Oneida, WI (2006-2010).

Dawson Her Many Horses - Secretary

Member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe of South Dakota
Bank of America Merrill Lynch
300 S 4th Street, Suite 200
Las Vegas, NV 89101-6014
Email: (dawson at nafoa.org)

Dawson Her Many Horses is a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe of South Dakota.

Dawson began his finance career in 2002 at Merrill Lynch in New York, NY. In 2004, he was appointed Director of Native American Business Development for the investment banking, wealth management and asset management groups at Merrill Lynch. In this role, he launched Merrill Lynch Native American Banking & Financial Services.

Dawson later moved into Merrill Lynch Investment Banking, where he focused on the Gaming industry. Dawson has also worked in the Capital Markets Group at the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA). Dawson is a vice president in the Las Vegas based Gaming Group at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Dawson has a B.A. degree from Columbia University and an M.B.A. from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. In 2011, he was named one of 40 Native Americans under 40 nationally.

Ryan Claw - Treasurer

Member of the Navajo Nation
Phone: 520-784-8711
Email: (ryan at nafoa.org)

A member of the Navajo Nation tribe, Ryan has provided his financial services to Native American tribes for most of his seventeen-year career. His past experiences include being the Treasurer for the Tohono O’odham Nation, Auditor General for the Navajo Nation and a financial manager for the Pascua Yaqui Tribe of Arizona. Additionally, Ryan was an auditor for the State of Arizona Office of the Auditor General. Ryan currently works at the University of Arizona in Tucson, AZ.

Ryan is a certified public accountant and received his MBA from the University of Arizona in 2004. He is a Native American Finance Officers Association board member and is currently its representative on the Governmental Accounting Standards Advisory Council.

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