MISSION – The Board of Trustees of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) has named Paul Rabb as the CTUIR’s next Interim Executive Director. The decision came in the wake of Chuck Sams’ resignation following his appointment to the Northwest Power and Conservation Council. Both the resignation of Mr. Sams and the appointment of Mr. Rabb will be effective at 4pm on Friday, March 12.
“I can’t thank Chuck enough for his service to the Tribe. We are sad to see him go, but happy that he has received such a prestigious appointment from Governor Brown,” said Chair Brigham. “We know that he will work for the benefit of the entire region. We wish him nothing but the best.”
Sams served in the role of Interim Executive Director since the resignation of Ted Wright in November 2020. During that time, Mr. Sams headed the ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the CTUIR rollout of the vaccine distribution. He has served in a number of executive positions in both the non-profit and for-profit sectors regionally and nationally over the past 25 years including time as an environmental health and safety officer/planner, Communications Director and Deputy Executive Director for CTUIR. Mr. Sams holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Concordia University and a Master of Legal Studies from the University of Oklahoma School of Law.
Rabb has served as CTUIR Finance Director since 2015 and has been employed by the Tribe for 25 years. He served as Commander for the CTUIR Incident Command Team during the February 2020 flood and previously served as Housing Director. Mr. Rabb’s tenure as Finance Director has coincided with a period of marked economic growth by the CTUIR. Rabb holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Eastern Oregon University.
“Paul has the knowledge and expertise to step right into the role of Interim Executive Director and those are valuable attributes for the continuity that the Board of Trustees wants to maintain right now,” said Kat Brigham, Chair of the Board of Trustees.
The nationwide search for a permanent Executive Director is ongoing and the Board of Trustees has geared the timeline for selection towards the summer of 2021.
