TERO holds annual appreciation lunch

By Danielle Harrison

Smoke Signals editor

The annual Tribal Employment Rights Office Appreciation Lunch was held Saturday, Nov. 4, at Spirit Mountain Casino to honor and highlight employees and projects in 2023.

TERO Director Harris Reibach served as master of ceremonies, introducing speakers, presenting awards and announcing raffle winners.

“Just having all of the TERO workers, the Indian-owned businesses and individual funding opportunity recipients in one area with their families, Tribal Council members and the TERO Commission was really special,” he said.  

Tribal Council Chairwoman Cheryle A. Kennedy gave the invocation. Tribal Council member Lisa Leno was also in attendance and spoke on behalf of council to welcome attendees to the event.   

“It was a wonderful event,” Kennedy said during a Tuesday, Nov. 7, Legislative Action Committee meeting. “There was lots of appreciation for the program. … I was glad I could make it.”

A lunch was served to the more than 70 attendees, followed by raffles, an explanation of the various services TERO provides and project statistics, among other presentations.  

Reibach introduced the TERO staff to those in attendance. They are Senior Administrative Assistant Caden Leno, Administrative Assistant Kristy Summers, TERO Compliance Officer Duke Kimsey, and Training and Development Coordinator Jacob Boekoff.  

TERO Commission members Perry McDaniel and Tracie Meyer spoke on behalf of the commission. They said that Grand Ronde TERO has the best program that they have seen in Indian Country. Reibach spoke about the partnership between TERO and the Oregon Department of Transportation.

Toward the end of the event, the TERO Worker of the Year award was presented. Grand Ronde Tribal member Dakota Rock received the honor for 2023. He was also the April Worker of the Month this year. He is currently dispatched to the I-205 Abernathy Bridge Project in Oregon City and has been a key employee on the many ODOT projects to which he has been referred.

The event concluded with a raffle, dessert table and photos.