Northern Arapaho Tribal members to address unenforced resolutions during General Council meeting May 23

UPDATE: Late Tuesday evening, the Northern Arapaho Tribe shared a press release announcing Jenni Wildcat as CEO of Wind River Hotel and Casino. That press release can be viewed in full below.

The Northern Arapaho Business Council has named Jenni Wildcat the new CEO of Wind River Hotel & Casino. Ms. Wildcat, an Arapaho Member, previously was a regulator overseeing the Tribe’s secretarial procedures, and helped oversee regulatory compliance for the Northern Arapaho Gaming Agency and Tribal operations. Her career in Tribal gaming spans 20 years.

“The Wind River Reservation is my home and where I’ve chosen to raise my family,” Ms. Wildcat said. “I feel blessed with the opportunity to lead the Northern Arapaho gaming enterprise and Wind River Hotel & Casino, which is such an important community gathering spot and economic engine.”

Ms. Wildcat replaces Patrick Leckrone, who had led the Wind River Hotel & Casino and Northern Arapaho gaming enterprise since 2022.

“The Northern Arapaho Business Council thanks Mr. Leckrone for his leadership and service to the Tribe, and we wish him well. This is a pivotal time for the Wind River Hotel & Casino and each of our gaming facilities, and we know Jenni Wildcat is the right person to lead the enterprise going forward,” the NABC said in a statement. “Jenni was born and raised on the Wind River Reservation and has two decades of experience with Tribal gaming. We look forward to her leading our gaming enterprise to strong growth in the future, which will create more jobs and economic opportunity for the Arapaho people.”

Separately, the NABC has named Shawn Brown the new CEO of Arapaho First, a role also previously held by Mr. Leckrone. The organization oversees Tribe-operated businesses, including Little Wind Loans, Redwolf Daycare, 789 Gas Station, and Black Mountain Ink & Thread, as well as services for propane, home maintenance, solid waste disposal and more. Prior to accepting this appointment, Mr. Brown was Manager of Northern Arapaho Propane & Solid Waste.

“Shawn Brown is a longtime Northern Arapaho employee who has proven himself and is well-qualified to lead Arapaho First,” the NABC said. “His innovative leadership is critical to help ensure the success of Tribe-operated businesses during this time of economic uncertainty.”

“I appreciate the NABC’s vote of confidence,” Mr. Brown said, “and I will do everything in my power to help these Tribal businesses succeed for the Arapaho people who depend on them.”

(Arapahoe, WY) – Members of the Northern Arapaho Tribe are continuing their efforts to enforce two General Council resolutions that the Northern Arapaho Business Council declined to carry out last year.

The resolutions, which the General Council approved in September 2024, called for the termination of two Tribal employees: in-house attorney Clare Johnson and Wind River Casino General Manager Patrick Leckrone.

The NABC said it couldn’t follow those “recommendations,” citing “federal Secretarial procedures” – but Tribal members like Nicole Wagon maintain that, because the General Council is the Tribe’s “supreme governing body,” any resolutions passed by the General Council “become our law.”

“This authority is formally recognized by both the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the tribal court system, establishing the General Council’s final say in all governance matters,” Wagon said last month, reiterating that, when Tribal officials take the Oath of Office, they pledge to “uphold and protect the sovereignty of the Northern Arapaho Tribe, against all enemies foreign and domestic,” and to “support and defend all law and policies, all customs and traditions and all treaties of the Northern Arapaho Tribe.”

“This failure to implement the will of the people raises serious concerns about adherence to democratic principles and the integrity of tribal leadership.”

Wagon is scheduled to present on the topic at a General Council meeting scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday, May 23, at Great Plains Hall in Arapahoe.

Her agenda item says, “Direct the NABC to provide a full and clear public explanation of why it did not follow the advice of the General Council to terminate Patrick Leckrone and Laura Clare Johnson, despite the vote of a strong majority of the General Council.”

The agenda says Wagon will also propose two resolutions during the meeting: one advising the NABC to amend the Northern Arapaho Tribe’s Secretarial Procedures to replace the Business Council with the General Council so that the procedures say “the General Council alone shall select or terminate a Gaming Manager/Chief Executive Officer,” and another “to censure Lee Spoonhunter and direct the Northern Arapaho Business Council that he cannot be hired for future employment in a director or managerial role involving management of money for the Northern Arapaho Tribe.”

NABC representatives were not immediately available when County 10 reached out for comment.

“Tribal members are encouraged to attend and continue exercising their voice in the governance of the Northern Arapaho Tribe,” Wagon said last month.

The General Council meeting is open to adult citizens of the Northern Arapaho Tribe ages 18 and older.

If a quorum of 150 members has not been established by 10:30 a.m., the meeting may be canceled, and a new date will be set by Chairman Cy Lee.