Native Public Media

2010 Advisory Council

2010 Native Public Media Advisory Council: L-R (Sial Thonolig, Syd Beane, Sue Matters, Geoff Blackwell, Roanne Robinson Shaddox, Eileen Egan, Matthew Rantanen)

CURRENT AC MEMBER: Sydney Beane (Flandreau Santee Sioux)
Partner, Digital Signage, Minneapolis, MN
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Syd Beane enjoys working with both tribal and urban Indian organizations to plan and implement community development projects in the areas of housing/mixed use building development and economic development. He has been a business partner in a Native American 8-A corporation and Chairman of the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribal Economic Development Holding Company. Currently, he is a business partner in a multi-media business focusing on digital signage. Syd has an extensive media background including 8 years as co-host of the television show “21st Century Native Americans” in Phoenix; 5 years as the national coordinator for the Native Media & Technology Network which co-sponsored the American Indian Summer Institute Immersion in Film/TV with Fox Entertainment Group in LA; and is the creator/co-producer of “Native Nations: Standing Together for Civil Rights,” a  documentary film distributed by ABC and the Hallmark Channel.  Syd serves as Board President of Migizi Communications in Minneapolis and Board Treasurer of Native American Public Telecommunications in Lincoln, Nebraska.

CURRENT AC CHAIR: Geoffrey Blackwell  (Muscogee (Creek) Nation of Oklahoma, Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Omaha)
Director, Strategic Relations and Minority Business Development, Chickasaw Nation Industries
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Blackwell is the Director of Strategic Relations and Minority Business Development at Chickasaw Nation Industries, Inc. (CNI). Prior to joining CNI, he worked at the FCC within the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs of the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau as a Senior Attorney and as the Commission’s liaison to Tribal Governments. He currently chairs the Telecommunications Subcommittee of the National Congress of American Indians. In 2007, Blackwell testified on behalf of Native Public Media and the National Federation of Community Broadcasters at the U.S. House of Representatives Telecommunications and the Internet subcommittee hearing on the future of radio. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the National Federation of Community Broadcasters.

CURRENT AC MEMBER: Roanne Robinson Shadox

Roanne recently joined the Advisory Council for Native Public Media (NPM).  Currently, Roanne serves as a Senior Privacy Specialist within the Office of the Chief Information Officer/Division of Information Technology for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).  Prior to joining the FDIC in 2007, Roanne provided consulting services to non-profits, businesses and Federal government agencies on media, telecommunications, and privacy issues.  During this time, Roanne assisted NPM with its efforts to educate Federal policymakers and regulators on broadband, media ownership and spectrum issues affecting Indian Country.  Prior to consulting, Roanne served as Vice President of Jefferson Data Strategies (JDS), a small business specializing in developing and managing corporate and Federal agency privacy programs.  Prior to her work with JDS, Roanne served as Chief of Staff and Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), U.S. Department of Commerce.  During her tenure with NTIA, she worked on a wide range of agency initiatives aimed a closing the digital divide, promoting e-commerce, and protecting citizen privacy online.  As part of this work, she led efforts to increase tribal participation in all related policy, funding and outreach initiatives, such as NTIA’s landmark Falling Through the Net reports, universal service hearings, Connecting All Americans conferences, and White House advisory committees.  Prior to joining NTIA, Roanne worked for the National Cable Television Association (1983 to 1993) and National Congress of American Indians (1980 to 1983).  Roanne also serves on the Board of Directors for Media Access Project, a non-profit law firm and advocacy organization promoting freedom of expression, independent media, and low-cost, universal access to communications services.

CURRENT AC MEMBER: Sial Thonolig (Tohono O’odham)
General Manager, KOHN-FM 91.9,  Sells, AZ
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Sial Thonolig is the current General Manager of KOHN FM, a Native station licensed to the Tohono O’odham Nation. “Morning Light” in his native O’odham, ST as he prefers,  has enjoyed 28 years working with the Tohono O’odham Nation in diverse areas such as the Utility Authority, Employment Rights Commission, and the inaugural Boxing Commission. These opportunities have enabled ST to gain experience in addressing critical issues before congressional committees, governmental agencies and other regulatory bodies. Concentrating on education, commerce, human resources, communications and economic issues, ST has developed a unique perspective on the impact of these issues on Indian Country. As a strong advocate for native sovereignty, ST has consistently promoted organizational development by the Tohono O’odham Nation to exceed established standards.

PAST AC MEMBER: Laura Waterman Wittstock, Chair (Seneca)
President, Wittstock & Associates, Minneapolis, MN
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Laura Waterman Wittstock is president and CEO of Wittstock & Associates, a media and education consulting firm. As a political activist for Native American peoples, she founded MIGIZI Communications, a radio news service in the Midwest Great Lakes area. She served as president of the Minneapolis Library Board, working on the development and realization of the new Minneapolis Central Library.  A former journalist, Waterman Wittstock is the author of several publications, including Diverse Populations/Diverse Needs: Community Foundations and Diversity and Changing Communities, Changing Foundations: The Story of the Diversity Efforts for 20 Community Foundations. She is the recipient of several leadership and professional awards, including the Distinguished IEL Service award from the Institute for Educational Leadership, the Human Rights award from the Minnesota Lawyers International Human Rights Committee,  and the National Headliner award for Outstanding Documentary by a network for Coming from America:  Executive Producer.  In 2006, she was selected to be the fourth Louis W. Hill, Jr. Fellow in Philanthropy at The Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs.  Wittstock was born on the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation in New York.

PAST AC MEMBER: Will Gray, Jr., (Assiniboine/Gros Ventre)
Station Manager, KGVA-FM, Fort Belknap College, Harlem, MT
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Will Gray Jr. has been involved in public radio for 5 years all of which have been at KGVA, the only full-powered Native radio station in the state of Montana. He started out as a volunteer which eventually led to the station manager position. Gray was a recipient of the Packard Foundation Tribal Scholar Award in 1996. He has served on local community boards such as the Fort Belknap Tribal Disaster and Emergency Committee, Volunteer Fire Department Board and the Fort Belknap College Construction Board.