Nya:wëh sgë:nö’ my fellow Senecas,
I hope this message finds you well! Our students are back in school, and I hope everyone had a wonderful Spring Break!
I’d like to take a moment to introduce a valued member of the President’s Office team: Allise Barreto.
Allise (pictured below) serves as an Administrative Staff Assistant as well as a Community Outreach Liaison for our office. In addition to supporting the day-to-day operations that keep our office running smoothly, Allise plays a key role in strengthening communication between the President’s Office and both our Erie, PA and Buffalo Creek locations.
A proud member of the Wolf Clan, Allise was raised on the Cattaraugus Territory and currently resides in Buffalo, NY. She holds an Associate’s Degree in Communications from Genesee Community College and brings over five years of dedicated service to the Nation, including previous roles with the Seneca Gaming Authority.
She also volunteers her time with the Youth Council, helping to empower and uplift the next generation of Seneca leadership.
Allise is deeply committed to community engagement and brings a vibrant energy to every space and project she’s involved in—making her a true asset to our team.
Recently, my family was happy to participate in a few of the Cattaraugus Community Fair Week events. Our children especially enjoyed playing dodgeball with the Marshal’s Department.
The First Lady, Nicole and I also had the pleasure of participating in the Honor Our Children Walk and Social, which began at ECLC. We were completely smitten by the babies and youngsters at the school. The First Lady had the tough task of selecting winners for the children’s coloring contest—certainly not an easy choice!
As part of the Marshal’s community outreach initiative, we had the joy of hosting nine children from both territories—along with Chief Marshal Tom Thompson (Cattaraugus), Deputy Chief Marshal Ashley Abrams (Allegany), and several deputies—for “the suite life” at the final regular Bandits game of the season. It was a memorable evening and a great way to build positive relationships in a fun environment… and of course the Bandits won!
Recently, several Councillors and I attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Nation’s new bus garage in Cattaraugus. It’s a proud moment for all of us to know that our children’s buses will now be protected from the elements. We’re truly fortunate to have our own transportation fleet, as well as dedicated drivers and aides—your hard work does not go unnoticed!
At our April 12th regular Council meeting, we had the honor of recognizing three outstanding Seneca athletes for their accomplishments:
- Noelani “Lani” Cornfield was recognized for her exemplary achievements in both basketball and academics. Lani is the daughter of Marcy Cornfield and granddaughter of the late Joe and Marjorie Curry, Gojoni’ga:’.
- Justin Hemphill, Onöndowa’ga, Hoswë’gai:yo’, is a record-setting basketball player. He is the son of Tina Kettle and Willie Hemphill Sr., and brother to Justina, Summer, and Willie Jr.
- Tyrone Bowen-Collateta, Onöndowa’ga, Hojoni’ga:’, was honored for his instrumental role in establishing the UPB Men’s Lacrosse program. Tyrone is the son of Sara and Dave Isaac.
We are proud of all they’ve achieved and look forward to their continued success!
Council and leadership have been working diligently to strengthen our relationships with other governments and communities. In regard to the extremely concerning issue of wastewater mismanagement in the City of Olean, the Nation and Olean have created a task force to work together to resolve this problem. We are also engaging with the City of Salamanca leadership. I’m committed and confident that we will succeed in ensuring that our rivers are clean and protected.
Building on the momentum from last month’s Native Nations virtual meeting, we have two important events planned for May.
On May 12th, all eight Nations are scheduled to participate in roundtable discussions with the State-Native American sub-committee in Albany. We are also inviting our communities to join us there for another Impact Day to show unity and support as we continue advocating for our people.
Later in the month, we will host a Haudenosaunee Leadership Summit from May 30th to June 1st in Allegany. This gathering will bring together leadership, community, and we’re proud to be collaborating with the Haudenosaunee Nationals Men’s U20 Lacrosse team organizers to make the weekend a culturally rich, family-friendly experience.
More details will be shared soon—we look forward to your participation and continued support.
Until next time!
~JC
- Correction: Julius Erving aka Dr J. was noted as it is misspelled as Julius Irving in the April 11th edition.
