Opinion | MONICA PARADISE, CTUIR Secretary of the Board of Trustees
Greetings. I want to take this opportunity to highlight the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) committees, commissions and boards.
There are currently seven advisory committees: Cultural Resources Committee, Economic and Community Development Committee, Education and Training Committee, Land Acquisition Committee, Law and Order Committee, Science and Technology Committee and Veterans Committee.
The Board of Trustees (BOT) created advisory committees by resolution to provide policy advice to the board and tribal staff on specific subject matters, departments or programs of the tribal government. Each advisory committee has its own subject matter statement.
There are nine regulatory commissions. The BOT delegates authority to regulatory commissions to exercise governmental power in specific subject areas. This includes the authority to adopt regulations, conduct hearings, issue permits and impose fines as outlined in each commission’s code. The BOT has enacted individual statutes that define the scope of authority for each commission.
The nine current regulatory commissions of the CTUIR are the Election Commission, Enrollment Commission, Fish and Wildlife Commission, Gaming Commission, Health Commission, Housing Commission, Land Protection Planning Commission, Tribal Employment Rights Office Commission and Water Commission.
The BOT creates boards of directors to operate tribal enterprises and service agencies. These boards function like those of private companies or nonprofit organizations. They may hire staff, manage budgets, contract in their own name and in some cases file lawsuits.
These boards include Tiicham Conservation District; Nixyáawii Community Financial Services, a certified community development financial institution; Cayuse Holdings; Wildhorse Foundation, a charitable foundation; the Farm Committee, which provides operational oversight of the Tribal Farm Enterprise; and the Health Commission, which operates the Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center.
One important group to acknowledge is the CTUIR Senior and Junior Youth Leadership Council. The Department of Family and Children Services director Julie Taylor leads the council. They meet on the first and third Sundays of each month. The leadership council presented at the General Council meeting in March 2026 and shared a variety of projects they are currently working on.
More information about committees, commissions and boards is available on the CTUIR website under the Government tab, then Committees and Commissions. Each month, I conduct a work session to review applications with the BOT. The following Monday, the BOT makes appointments.
Public notices are shared throughout the community, posted on the CTUIR website (https://ctuir.org/our-government/committees-commissions/committee-and-commission-vacancies/), and published in the CUJ, listing current vacancies.
I encourage tribal members to apply and contribute their input and expertise. These opportunities also serve as a strong entry point for those interested in leadership roles within tribal government. Current positions and applications can be accessed by scanning the QR code.
