MENTOR-FACILITATORS
Direlle R. Calica, J.D.
ITG Director & CTR Co-Facilitator
Institute for Tribal Government
Citizen of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, Mrs. Direlle R. Calica. J.D. has over 20-years of experience as a legislative, policy, planning, and regulatory advisor with the U.S. Attorney’s Office-District of Oregon, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Intertribal Organizations, and various Indian Tribes. Mrs. Calica has extensive professional experience in intergovernmental affairs, hydro-system planning, tribal economic development, tribal energy infrastructure policy, and tribal water policy. She has also served as a White House Intern and Mark O. Hatfield Congressional Fellow in the U.S. Senate. Her professional background includes a Juris Doctorate with a focus on Business and Natural Resource policy. Mrs. Calica was an Adjunct Professor of Law at Lewis & Clark Law School in the Indian Law Program. Mrs. Calica also serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Northwest Energy Coalition, the Oregon Native American Chamber, and Council Member for the Oregon Energy Facility Siting Council. She is also a Bonneville Environmental Foundation (B-E-F) Board of Director, Emeritus. Mrs. Calica is the Managing Partner of Kanim Associates, LLC a Native American, women and Veteran owned company based in Portland, Oregon. Finally, she is a member of the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) and the WSBA Environmental Law Section.
Gabe Sheoships
CTR Co-Facilitator
Gabe is Cayuse and Walla Walla, an enrolled citizen of Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. Gabe has worked for the past twenty years on behalf of the advocacy, protection and restoration of Indigenous First Food resources, through the fields of education, sustainability, fisheries science, environmental restoration, and landscape reclamation. This work has positively influenced Tribes, federal, state, academic and non-profit organizations. Gabe is the Executive Director of the Friends of Tryon Creek, where he leads efforts focused on community building, environmental stewardship, education, and protection of natural ecosystems.
Gabe serves as the Board President for the Tributaries Network, Co-Chair for the Nesika Wilamut organization, and on the board of the Center for Diversity & the Environment and Freshwaters Illustrated. For the past six years, Gabe has taught at both Portland State University and Heritage University, within courses set in the Indigenous Nations Studies Program, Environmental Science and Management, and University Studies departments. Gabe has an MSc in Fisheries Biology from Oregon State University.