Staff and Consultant Biographies

Mark L. Ufkes – ATNI-EDC Executive Director

Mr. Ufkes grew up in Umatilla, Yakama and Nez Perce Indian Country. For the past six years, he has worked on regional Tribal economic development issues here in the Northwest. Working closely with Tribal communities and the ATNI-EDC Board of Directors, he coordinated the ATNI Revolving Loan Fund (RLF), developed the ATNI Tribal Energy program, the ATNI-EDC Regional Tourism program, and is currently guiding Information Technology strategic planning with Northwest Indian Country. Mr. Ufkes has a career in international economic development in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. In 1992, Mr. Ufkes directed efforts in five newly established, culturally based governments in former Soviet Central Asia, to promote private sector investment and trade. In that position, he promoted the use of email and Internet technology to develop and promote a non-profit public service community there. Mr. Ufkes is a development economist and educator with degrees from Washington State University and Harvard University. He and his wonderful family live in Seattle.

Terry Edvalson - Business Development Consultant

Mr. Edvalson was a founding board member of ATNI-EDC. He served on the board from 1997 to 2000. His work experience includes three years as a classroom teacher in Oregon and seventeen years as elementary, secondary, and postsecondary state education, department level, program administrator in Micronesia. He retired in 1999 after 23 years as the director of the Eastern Oregon University’s Regional Services Institute (RSI). RSI’s mission was to engage the resources of the university and the Oregon University System in addressing locally-identified community and economic development problems. Since his retirement, he has been engaged as a facilitator and project development consultant in a variety of community and economic development efforts in the areas of mental health, technology and telecommunications.

Elstun Lauesen - Director of Technology

Mr. Lauesen (Chippewa/Asa’car’sarmiut) brings to his position at ATNI-EDC, over 25 years of experience in rural development.  He has worked variously as a grants writer, a program and policy analyst, an economic developer, and a statewide program director. Elstun has operated his own consulting business, and he founded and managed a company named Ursa Major Communications, Inc., which supported networks and was a pioneer in the deployment of wireless Ethernet solutions in remote Alaska Villages.  He has also worked as an area manager for various Alaska projects for the U.S. Department of Commerce, and became the Tribal technology and ‘Digital Divide’ specialist for the EDA Region X. He attended the University of Alaska, Alaska Methodist University (Now APU) and Harvard College in the early 1970s and earned certification in Development Finance in 1989 from the National Development Council.

Barbara Johnson – Accounting and Technology Administrative Assistant

Victoriah Arsenian – Acting Tourism Director

Ms. Arsenian joined ATNI-EDC as the Assistant Tribal Tourism Planner/Publications.  She has been instrumental in the development of a Northwest Tribal Tourism guide. Prior to ATNI-EDC, she worked for a national Indian gaming publication, reporting on tribal gaming, economic development and reinvestments, healthcare, tribal/state legislation and education. She is an award-winning writer, and is presently a contributor to the San Diego-based, Native American Casino Magazine. Ms. Arsenian attended Lane Community College and the University of Oregon, studying English and Education.

Tracey Rascon – Tribal Telephone Services Outreach Coordinator

Mrs. Rascon (Makah) grew up primarily in Western Washington. She spent 5 years with the Kinko’s Corporate Office in Southern California as their Customer Service Lead, and moved back to the Makah Indian Reservation when her two youngest children were 3 and 5 years of age.  She worked for the Makah Tribal Council for six years, with the Head Start Program and the Office of the General Manager. Tracey has been with ATNI-EDC since 2001 and has been chosen by the Washington State Rural Utility Service to be a team member for the WA State RUS Community Assessment Team. This team is currently structuring and has completed training in Eastern Washington. She lives in Neah Bay with her husband, and their three children.

Randell Harris, Sr. - Technology Outreach Coordinator

Mr. Harris (Tlingit) is a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer and has over a decade of experience in network information technology.  Randell has taught basic computer and Microsoft Office 2000 classes to native students as an adjunct faculty at Olympic College/Five Tribes Career Center in Washington State.  He has also worked with five Washington state tribes as the Employment Resource Development/Technology coordinator for the South Puget Intertribal Planning Agency, and the Director of Information Technology for the Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe.

Margaret Schaff – ATNI-EDC Private Consultant

Ms. Schaff is an attorney with 16 years experience in the energy industry. Her law firm, Margaret M. Schaff, PC, specializes in utility, oil and gas, and high voltage electrical issues for Indian Nations. Former positions include Chief Lands Attorney for the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA), power marketing and policy attorney for WAPA, Utility Specialist for Dames & Moore, Contract Specialist for the Dine' Power Authority of the Navajo Nation, and General Council for Native Power Corporation. Her clients include Umpqua Indian Utility Cooperative, Sovereign Power Inc., Affiliated Tribes of the Northwest Indians Economic Development Corporation, Mni Sose Intertribal Water Rights Coalition, the Arapaho-Shoshone Tribes of the Wind River Reservation, The Hopi Tribe, and the Lummi Tribe. Ms. Schaff received her bachelor's degree from Quincy University and her Juris Doctorate from the University of Denver College of Law.

Lawrence SpottedBird – ATNI-EDC Private Consultant

Mr. SpottedBird (Kiowa) is currently President/CEO of SpottedBird Technologies, Inc., has over twenty-two years experience in business management and economic development.   He has over 15 years in upper management experience, having executive level management of multi-million dollar corporations in Alaska and the Continental United States. He currently serves as Business Manager for an Alaska Tribal owned information technology company and was the Vice-President of Business Development for n-Link Corporation for over three years.  Lawrence is a Viet Nam Era veteran having served in the U. S. Navy.