Direlle Calica appointed as new Director of PSU’s Institute for Tribal Government
Author: Institute for Tribal Government
Posted: August 22, 2017
Direlle R. Calica, J.D. has recently been hired to lead the Institute for Tribal Government of PSU’s Center for Public Service, which itself is part of the Mark O. Hatfield School of Government within the College of Urban and Public Affairs (CUPA). Ms. Calica is a citizen of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, and is of Warm Springs, Wasco, Yakama, Molalla, and Snoqualamie tribal descent. Ms. Calica is a Portland State University alumna, graduating in 1998 with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology.
Ms. Calica has more than 20 years of experience as a legislative, policy, planning, and regulatory advisor. She has worked in the field of Tribal Relations for the U.S. Attorney’s Office (District of Oregon) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and has been an advisor to various Indian Tribes on external relations. Ms. Calica also has extensive professional experience in intergovernmental affairs, hydro system planning related to tribes, environmental entrepreneurship, and tribal energy policy. She has also served as a White House Intern and as a Mark O. Hatfield Congressional Fellow in the U.S. Senate.
Ms. Calica has also served as an Adjunct Professor in the Indian Law Program at the Northwestern School of Law at Lewis and Clark College, where she received her Juris Doctorate with a focus on Federal Indian Law, Business and Natural Resource law. She serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Northwest Energy Coalition, Our Native American Business & Entrepreneur Network (ONABEN) and she is a Bonneville Environmental Foundation (B-E-F) Director Emeritus. Ms. Calica is the Managing Partner of Kanim Associates, LLC which is a Native American, women, and Veteran owned consulting company. She is a member of the Washington State Bar Association, and the WSBA Environmental Law Section.
“I am deeply honored to be named to this position, and I look forward to working to help foster and forge academic, economic, social and cultural collaborations and advance the Institute for Tribal Government’s programming to match the rapidly evolving aspects of modern tribal governance,” Ms. Calica noted.
About the Institute for Tribal Government: The Institute for Tribal Government is part of the Center for Public Service, a unit of the Mark O. Hatfield School of Government at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon. The Institute serves elected tribal governments from across the nation and provides training to local, state, and federal government agencies, and others who are interested in learning about tribal government. The Institute’s current programming includes a year-long Professional Certificate in Tribal Relations, which is designed as a transformational professional development opportunity for “tribal liaisons” and other public service professionals working in Indian Country to increase their understanding and capacity for effective coordination with tribal governments and staff. The Institute was founded in 2000 and former directors have included Congresswoman Elizabeth Furse, Roy Sampsel, and Don Sampson. A Tribal Policy Board consisting of elected tribal chairpersons, directors of tribal governmental and policy organizations, and representatives of institutions of higher education provide policy guidance to the Institute.
Contact: Michaela Stroup Madrid (503) 725-9000