NCAI Leadership

Executive Director Larry Wright, Jr.

Ponca Tribe of Nebraska

Larry Wright, Jr., is the Executive Director for the National Congress of American Indians. Previously, he worked as the Director of Leadership Engagement for NCAI. Mr. Wright served his people as Ponca Tribal Chairman for eleven years after serving four years as a member of the Tribal Council. Additionally, Wright represented his Tribal Nation in the Great Plains Tribal Chairmen’s Association, and his peers elected him to represent the Great Plains Region as an NCAI Regional Vice President on the NCAI Executive Committee.

Wright is a recognized national Tribal leader and advocate, familiar to many on Capitol Hill and in every corner of Indian Country, and has testified before Congress on four occasions. In addition, Wright served on the Board of Directors of the National Indian Health Board, as Chairman of the Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs Board of Directors, and as Chairman of the Nebraska Inter-Tribal Coalition. He also previously served as Co-Chair of the NCAI Taxation Subcommittee and the NCAI Trust Lands, Natural Resources, and Agriculture Subcommittee while serving on NCAI’s Executive Committee.

Wright is a military veteran who served in the United States Army National Guard and is dedicated to national advocacy on behalf of Tribal veterans. He has a diverse background in education, management, and entrepreneurship. For six years, he taught Secondary Social Studies in Lincoln Public Schools and owned and operated a general contractor business.

Wright graduated from the University of Nebraska at Kearney with a BA in Secondary Social Studies and Political Science and an MA in History from the University of Nebraska Wesleyan.

President Mark Macarro

Tribal Chairman, Pechanga Band of Indians

Elected in 2023 as NCAI's 24th President, Mark Macarro is the duly elected Tribal Chairman of the Pechanga Band of Indians in Southern California. President Macarro was first elected to the Pechanga Tribal Council in 1992.

Throughout his tenure, President Macarro's vision for Pechanga has been to see the Band strengthen its political self-determination and economic self-sufficiency while maintaining its distinct and unique cultural identity.

President Macarro holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara, is married to Holly Cook Macarro (Red Lake Band of Ojibwe), and is the proud father of four children.

Executive Committee

The NCAI Executive Committee consists of the President, serving as Chairperson; the First Vice President; the Recording Secretary; the Treasurer; and twelve Regional Vice Presidents. In addition, there are twelve Alternate Regional Vice Presidents. All Executive Committee members serve for two-year terms.

NCAI members elect the organization’s Executive Committee during every other Annual Convention, held in the fall of each year. The entire membership elects the Administrative Board, which consists of the President, First Vice President, Recording Secretary, and Treasurer. The twelve Regional Vice Presidents and their Alternates are elected by their respective regions.

At the 80th Annual Convention held in New Orleans, Louisiana, NCAI’s membership elected the 2023–2025 NCAI Executive Committee. There will be elections held during the 82nd Annual Convention & Marketplace in Seattle, Washington, for the 2025–2027 Executive Committee.

Officers

President

Mark Macarro
Chairman, Pechanga Band of Indians

First Vice President

Brian Weeden
Chairman, Mashpee Wampanoag

Recording Secretary

Christie Modlin
Tribal Secretary, Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma

Treasurer

Ashley Cornforth
Tribal Councilor, Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community

Regional Vice Presidents & Alternates

Alaska

Vice-President:
Brian Ridley, Native Village of Eagle

Alternate:
Clinton Cook, Craig Tribal Association

Midwest

Vice-President:
Wendy Merrill, Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe

Alternate:
Jameson Wilson, Oneida Nation

Pacific

Vice-President:
Geneva Mojado, Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians

Alternate:
Leo Sisco, Santa Rosa Rancheria Tachi Yokut Nation

Southern Plains

Vice-President:
Reggie Wassana, Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma

Alternate:
Joseph Blanchard, Absentee Shawnee Tribe

Eastern Oklahoma

Vice-President:
Joe Deere, Cherokee Nation

Alternate:
Pamela Shaw, Osage

Northeast

Vice-President:
Rodney Butler, Mashantucket Pequot Tribe

Alternate:
Lance Gumbs, Shinnecock Indian Nation

Rocky Mountain

Vice-President:
Martin Charlo, Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes

Alternate:
Jennifer Finley, Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes

Southwest

Vice-President:
Raymond Aguilar, Pueblo of Santo Domingo

Alternate:
Gary Lujan, Pueblo of Taos

Great Plains

Vice-President:
Ryman LeBeau, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe

Alternate:
J. Garret Renville, Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate

Northwest

Vice-President:
Leonard Forsman, Suquamish Tribe

Alternate:
Kris Peters, Squaxin Island Tribe

Southeast

Vice-President:
Lora Ann Chaisson, United Houma Nation

Alternate:
Robert McGhee, Poarch Creek Indians

Western

Vice-President:
Julius Murray, Ute Indian Tribe

Alternate:
Percel Cesspooch, Ute Indian Tribe

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