|
|
| Return to News Selection Page |
|
Williams honored by the Tribe By Dorreen
Yellow Bird, press secretary Damon
Williams, supervising attorney for the Three Affiliated Tribes, was honored
Friday by the Tribal Business Council for his outstanding work with the
tribe. Williams, 40, has been with the
tribe since 2007 Williams has
a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Geology (UND) and a Master’s degree in
Earth Science (Emporia State). With
these degrees, he said, he wanted to
work on environmental issues for Indian Tribes, but with advice from his wife,
Rae Ann and her two brothers, Tom and Roger Birdbear, he decided law school
might be the right place. He received
law degree from the University of Kansas, passed the bar 2003 and went to work
for United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) at the Regional
office at Kansas City, Kansas. In 2003,
he worked for the Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas as the Tribe’s Director of Water
Resources. Working for the Kickapoo
tribe was a good learning experience, he said. In 2004 he
was promoted to General Counsel for the Kickapoo tribe. In August 2007, he was hired by Three
Affiliated Tribes as supervising attorney of the legal department. He was admitted to the North Dakota bar in
2009. |
|
|
Since then,
Williams has been deep into the oil and gas projects with the tribe. Although he is an environmentalist at heart,
he is also a realist and he sees his job as a way to make positive things
happen for the tribe and something that is good for everyone. The law, Williams said, is a good way to do
that. “It is
really a matter of the tribe asserting its full authority and jurisdiction in
these projects.” He sees the job as
balancing the needs and wants of the people with the environmental needs. “I believe we are doing a pretty job for
ourselves,” he said. Yet, Williams said, the worst thing a lawyer can do is to
be over confident. “There are elders here who know more about the law than I
ever will.” “It is
important for me to remember who I am.”
Growing up in Hawaii he was taught to be independent and
responsible. “You work hard but there
was no reservation family you could depend on.
I learned to be conservative from my tribal family and learned a good
work ethic from my Hawaiian roots, Williams said. He had his
first job in the 2nd grade while living in Parshall. Furthermore, in his 3rd year in law school,
he worked 60 hours a week while carrying a rigorous schedule of classes at law
school. Williams is
the son of Carolene Foote, Arikara / Hidatsa from Parshall, and the late
Russell Williams of Honolulu, Hawaii. He
is married to Rae Ann Birdbear (daughter of Roy and the late Rosalie (Hopkins)
Birdbear ). Together, they have three
children: Dale, 16; Jenna 12; and Tommy
5. |
| Return to News Selection Page |
|
email us
|Phone: 701-627-4781
|
