American Indian Excellence Awards

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The Phoenix Indian Center hosts an annual dinner to honor those in the American Indian community for outstanding leadership and commitment to the advancement of the American Indian Community or for providing significant contributions to the local American Indian economy. Patti Hibbeler, the chief executive officer of the Phoenix Indian Center, and Jacob Moore, the Outstanding Man of the Year for the 2016 Arizona American Indian Excellence in Leadership Awards, will talk about the awards.

TED SIMONS: THE PHOENIX INDIAN CENTER HOSTS AN ANNUAL DINNER TO HONOR OUTSTANDING LEADERSHIP AND COMMITMENT TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN COMMUNITY AND FOR PROVIDING SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE LOCAL AMERICAN INDIAN ECONOMY. HERE NOW TO TALK ABOUT THE AWARDS, WE WELCOME PATTY HIBBELER, AND SHE IS THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF PHOENIX INDIAN CENTER AND JACOB MOORE WHO WAS HONORED AS OUTSTANDING MAN OF THE YEAR IN 2016. GOOD TO HAVE YOU BOTH HERE. THANKS FOR JOINING US.
PATTY HIBBELER : THANK YOU.
TED SIMONS: PATTY, WE'LL START YOU WITH. THE AMERICAN INDIAN IN EXCELLENCE LEADERSHIP AWARDS. EXPLAIN.
PATTY HIBBELER: LAST NIGHT WE CELEBRATED OUR 34TH ANNUAL AWARDS PROCESS. IT BEGAN AS I SAID 34 YEARS AGO AND REALLY AS A WAY TO CELEBRATE AMERICAN INDIAN LEADERSHIP WHICH BEGAN IN PHOENIX IN GREATER MARICOPA COUNTY AND NOW IT'S A STATEWIDE AWARD.
TED SIMONS: THIS IS SOMETHING AGAIN, STARTED SIMONS HERE, JUST A FOLKS OF GETTING TOGETHER AND SAYING THERE'S SOME FOLKS WE NEED TO RECOGNIZE.
PATTY HIBBELER: EXACTLY. THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED. THERE WERE KIND OF UNSUNG HEROES OR LEADERSHIP IN THE COMMUNITY, A GROUP OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS REALLY SPEARHEADED BY PHYLLIS BIGPOND WHO WAS PREVIOUS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE PHOENIX INDIAN CENTER, CAME TOGETHER AND SAID WE NEED TO FIND A WAY TO RECOGNIZE THESE PEOPLE. AND ACTUALLY THE FIRST YEAR IT BEGAN AS A POTLUCK.
TED SIMONS: THERE YOU GO. AND IT'S MORE THAN A POTLUCK NOW, ISN'T IT?
PATTY HIBBELER: YES, IT IS. THAT'S REALLY COMMUNITY IS A POTLUCK.
TED SIMONS: WE HAVE A BUNCH OF NAMES HERE AS FAR AS THOSE WHO WERE HONORED. THE MAN OF THE YEAR WENT TO JACOB MOORE. WE KNOW BECAUSE HE'S BEEN ON THE PROGRAM BEFORE. CONGRATULATIONS BY WAY ON THE AWARD.

JACOB MOORE: THANK YOU.
TED SIMONS: YOU WORK AT ASU. TALK TO US ABOUT WHAT YOU DO AT ASU AND WHY YOU WON THE AWARD AND WHY WHAT DO YOU IS SO IMPORTANT.
JACOB MOORE: MY ROLE AT ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY IS ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT OF TRIBAL RELATIONS. I WORK OUT OF THE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE, THE UNIVERSITY HAS HAD A SPECIAL ADVISER TO THE PRESIDENT ON AMERICAN INDIAN INITIATIVES FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS. FORMER PRESIDENT NAVAJO DIANA WHO WENT TO BECOME A FEDERAL DISTRICT COURT JUDGE HERE IN ARIZONA. WHEN I CAME ONBOARD, WE SPLIT THAT INTO TWO JOBS. DR. BRAYBOY IS THE SPECIAL ADVISOR AND MY ROLE AS ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT IS REALLY INTERNAL CAPACITY MOUs AND IGAs AND CREATING PARTNERSHIPS AND ENHANCING PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY AND TRIBAL NATIONS AND COMMUNITIES.
TED SIMONS: AND I IMAGINE RECRUITMENT A VERY BIG FACTOR.
JACOB MOORE: RECRUITMENT, RETENTION, GRADUATION, CAPACITY BUILDING, AND WE HAVE MULTIPLE PROGRAMS AT ASU THAT HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR A LONG TIME, CENTER FOR UNITED SIMONS EDUCATION, CONSTRUCTION OF INDIAN COUNTRY AND LEGAL PROGRAM, ALL VERY IMPORTANT PROGRAMS WITH 22 TRIBES IN ARIZONA, I THINK AN IMPORTANT ROLE FOR ARIZONA STATE TO PLAY.
TED SIMONS: AND MORE PROGRAMS, MORE PROFESSORS, MORE FACULTY?
JACOB MOORE: BRIGHT.
TED SIMONS: THAT'S PART OF IT AS WELL.
JACOB MOORE: AN INCREASE IN FACULTY. INCREASE IN STUDENTS. WE'VE HAD A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE YEAR AFTER YEAR OF ABOUT 5% TO 7%. WE'RE UP TO ABOUT 2,700 AMERICAN INDIAN STUDENTS REPRESENTING OVER 200 TRIBES THAT ARE ATTENDING ARIZONA STATE.
TED SIMONS: KIND OF EASY TO FIGURE OUT WHY YOU WON MAN OF THE YEAR AWARD.
PATTY HIBBELER :EXACTLY.
TED SIMONS: WHEN YOU GO -- HOW DOES THIS -- TALK ABOUT THE AWARDS PROCESS. DO PEOPLE NOMINATE OTHERS? DO YOU JUST KNOW PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY? HOW DOES IT WORK?
PATTY HIBBELER : THAT'S A REALLY GOOD QUESTION. THERE'S AN OPEN NOMINATION PROCESS THAT BEGINS IN FEBRUARY OF EACH YEAR AND CLOSES IN MAY. YOU CAN FIND THAT NOMINATION FORM ON THE PHOENIX INDIAN CENTER WEBSITE. WE PUT TOGETHER A SELECTION COMMITTEE OF 4 TO 6 INDIVIDUALS WHO ACTUALLY ARE PAST AWARDEES. COME AND LOOK AT THE NOMINATIONS AND RATE THEM AND SELECT THE NEXT YEAR'S AWARDEES.
TED SIMONS: SO IT'S RELATIVELY -- ONCE THE AWARD NIGHT COMES YOU'RE PRETTY MUCH SET TO GO, AREN'T YOU?
PATTY HIBBELER : YES, WE ARE. WE HAVE SOME WONDERFUL AWARDEES.

TED SIMONS: WE KNOW JACOB AS MAN OF THE YEAR. THE LIFE SOMETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WENT TO URBAN GIFT. TELL US ABOUT THAT.
PATTY HIBBELER: URBAN IS FROM THE HEAL A RIVER INDIAN COMMUNITY. HE'S VERY WELL KNOWN WITHIN THE STATE. HE RETIRED FROM THE HEAL A RIVER INDIAN COMMUNITY AS GENERAL MANAGER. ALSO IS A VETERAN, AND PARTICIPATES IN MANY VETERANS' GROUPS. THE THE IRA HAYES POST AND HAS BEEN ACTIVE ON SEVERAL BOARDS AND COMMUNITIES AND BRINGING AWARENESS TO AMERICAN INDIANS IN DIFFERENT AREAS. HIS REAL FOCUS IS REALLY SUPPORTING AND HELPING BUSINESSES SURVIVE.
TED SIMONS: ANOTHER LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD TO DR. ALBERTA ARVISO. WHO IS SHE?
PATTY HIBBELER: SHE'S FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA. SHE'S BEEN VERY SIGNIFICANT IN HELPING TO CREATE AND WRITE NEW CURRICULUMS PRIMARILY WITH A NAVAJO FOCUS MUCH LIKE WHAT JACOB HAS BEEN WORKING ON TO REALLY HELP RECRUIT AND RETAIN STUDENTS AT U OF A THROUGH GRADUATION. COME TO FIND OUT, SHE USED TO WORK AT THE PHOENIX INDIAN CENTER.
TED SIMONS: INTERESTING. AWARDS LIKE THESE AND HONORS LIKE THESE, PERSONAL GRATIFICATION, AND IT'S A NICE THING TO GET.
JACOB MOORE: SURE.
TED SIMONS: IN TERMS OF THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE, HOW IMPORTANT IS AN EVENT LIKE THIS?
JACOB MOORE: I THINK AS PATTY SAID, IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO RECOGNIZE THOSE THAT DON'T OFTEN GET RECOGNIZED, PEOPLE THAT DON'T THE WORK AREN'T NECESSARILY LOOKING FOR RECOGNITION. THERE'S SOME TREMENDOUS NEED IN TERMS OF OUR NATIVE PEOPLE, WHETHER THEY'RE ON RESERVATION OR OFF RESERVATION. WE HAVE A SIGNIFICANT POPULATION IN THE PHOENIX AREA THAT HAVE BEEN HERE, YOU KNOW, REALLY THEY HAVE COME BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN RESERVATION COMMUNITIES IN THE PHOENIX AREA. IT'S BEEN CRITICAL IN TERMS OF HELPING SUPPORT THOSE THAT COME INTO THE PHOENIX AREA LOOKING FOR WORK AND LOOKING FOR OPPORTUNITIES. AND SO I SHARED THAT I WAS ON THE PHOENIX INDIAN CENTER BOARD IN 1978 WHEN I WAS 18 YEARS OLD AND REALLY WAS ENCOURAGED TO GET ACTIVELY INVOLVED. AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A STRONG COMMUNITY WHERE WE COME FROM RESERVATIONS, I GREW UP IN---THE NATION BUT WE'RE LOOK FOR A COMMUNITY HERE IN THE PHOENIX AREA. IT'S A GREAT SUPPORT SYSTEM AND GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO RECOGNIZE THOSE DOING THE WORK.
TED SIMONS: AND I IMAGINE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO NETWORK AS WELL.
PATTY HIBBELER: AND THAT IT IS. THERE'S OVER 150,000 AMERICAN INDIANS ACTUALLY LIVING OFF RESERVATION WITHIN MARICOPA COUNTY. WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE PROVIDING SERVICES FOR MANY OF THEM, AND THEN MANY OF OUR SUPPORTERS WHO ACTUALLY COME TO THE EVENT CERTAINLY ARE BUSINESS AND ARE PARTNERS HERE WITHIN THE VALLEY. SO THAT NETWORKING IS REALLY KEY FOR INDIVIDUALS. IT'S ALSO A PLACE FOR US TO KIND OF HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO, YOU KNOW -- IT'S OLD HOME FOR US, BECAUSE WE'RE SEEING PEOPLE WE HAVEN'T SEEN FOR A LONG TIME.

TED SIMONS: IT SOUNDS LIKE QUITE AN EVENT. CONGRATULATIONS ON THAT AND CONGRATULATIONS MR. MAN OF THE YEAR OVER THERE.
JACOB MOORE: I APPRECIATE THAT.
TED SIMONS: THANK YOU BOTH FOR JOINING US. WE APPRECIATE IT.
PATTY HIBBELER: THANK YOU.

Patti Hibbeler, the chief executive officer of the Phoenix Indian Center. Jacob Moore, the Outstanding Man of the Year for the 2016 Arizona American Indian Excellence in Leadership Awards.

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