In 1999 I was elected to the Tulalip Board of Directors, the highest of honors. At the time, I had no idea of the exciting journey that would consume every day of the next fifteen years. First and foremost I was gifted to serve with great council members. We were not afraid to embrace new ideas or avenues to strengthen our tribal sovereignty. Staff was encouraged to think outside the box and they did.

One of the most important things that we did as a board for our people’s future was to lay a foundation of strong economic revenue and growth.

A cornerstone of that effort was establishing Quil Ceda Village, the second federally recognized city in America, as a destination retail center in the county. Before then, this large tract of land next to Interstate 5 was just dirt, trees and a vision. Our elders had the foresight to set this land aside for economic development and think big. I still remember our trip to Bentonville, Arkansas to meet with Wal-Mart and urge them to do business with an Indian Tribe. This prominent national retailer became our first anchor tenant.

Tulalip Tribes continued building on that success, with outstanding additions like the Seattle Premium Outlets, a large outlet shopping mall, and Cabella’s. Today Quil Ceda Village is a thriving and growing municipality.