MESA, AZ – The National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development (NCAIED) announced its 2016 class of “Native American 40 Under 40” award recipients.

This prestigious award is bestowed upon individuals under the age of 40, nominated by members of their communities, who have demonstrated leadership, initiative, and dedication and made significant contributions in business and their community. Beaver, AK’s Rhonda Pitka, who is Koyukon Athabascan and Inupiaq Eskimo, is among the 40 under 40 award winners that were honored during the 41st Annual Indian Progress in Business Awards (INPRO) Gala at the Buffalo Thunder Resort and Casino in Santa Fe, New Mexico on Wednesday, November 16th.

The awards are part of the Reservation Economic Summit New Mexico (RES New Mexico), which is a regional event for the premier economic development gathering in Indian Country. National RES in Las Vegas will celebrate its 31^st year this coming March.

“The 40 Under 40 award recipients are a diverse group of young men and women from across Indian Country who have all made invaluable contributions to their communities,” said Derrick Watchman, Chairman of the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development. “We are proud to honor this extraordinary group of leaders. I have no doubt our 40 Under 40 winners will help define the future of Native American business.”[xyz-ihs snippet=”adsense-body-ad”]Rhonda Pitka is the First Chief of the Beaver Village Council, where she has served since 2011. She is also the former Chairwoman of the Council of Athabascan Tribal Governments, where she facilitated the monthly meetings of and advocated for the 10 tribal governments of the Yukon Flats. Prior to her tenure as First Chief, she was a Tribal Administrator of the Beaver Village Council. She was awarded for outstanding scholastic achievement in tribal management from 2013-2014.

For more information about RES and the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development, please visit https://res.ncaied.org.[xyz-ihs snippet=”Adsense-responsive”]

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