CNCV Election 2024: Candidates
October is Election Time for the CNCV. We are grateful to those willing to volunteer their valuable time and energy giving back to our community!
For our upcoming election, we have three Board Member seats opening. Board terms are for 2 years with seats being staggered to ensure continuity (three seats for one election cycle and four for the next).
At the October 19 membership meeting, the Board member election will occur in-person by secret ballot distributed to current members in good standing. The completed ballots will be collected by the Election Committee with newly elected Board members announced as soon as tallying is complete.
The annual election is for maintaining seven Board member seats, rather than electing to specific Board positions. Soon after the election, the new Board will call a meeting to determine who will fill particular Board positions as this is reviewed annually. These positions and duties are Chair (previously Spokesperson), Secretary, Treasurer, Assistant Chair, Membership Coordinator/Alternate Secretary, Events Coordinator, Communications, and Historian. Expectations for Board members: serve a term of two years, remain in good standing, attend at least 67% of monthly Board meetings and at least 67% of scheduled general meetings, function in a Board position, and contribute significantly to work done by CNCV (i.e., help plan and implement events, ensure ongoing operations, and fulfill duties specific to one’s positions, with positions reviewed annually).
NOTE: Following CCO Policies and Procedures for At-Large Organizations (2024), “The governing board of an At-Large Organization will be comprised of a minimum of 51% Cherokee Citizens. The Board officers are required to be Cherokee Citizens to include the Chair, Asst. Chair, Secretary/Treasurer."
Please see candidates below, in alphabetical order.
Candidate: Jacqueline Robbins
Board Member
Current role: Historian
Cherokee Nation citizen: No
Statement:
Hello, my name is Jacqueline Robbins and I am running for board member. My family is originally from Nowata, Oklahoma and I have lived in Northern California for most of my life with my husband and two daughters. I have been part of the CNCV for the last three years. As a board member, secretary and historian, I have helped out in any way I could. I believe the relationships I developed in the community, whether helping with the Chief’s Picnic or setting up and helping with the language classes have allowed me to grow as a person in the service of others. I believe it has also provided enrichment to the community that I would like to continue cultivating. I'm the one you may have seen running to and fro to help out at all the events. It has been a wonderful experience that has allowed me to feel that I can serve in any capacity needed. Furthermore, it will allow me to contribute through gadugi in many facets. Having served and attended board meetings and worked with and served the community, I feel I have keen understanding of the responsibilities necessary to serve in this role. I look forward to serving on the Board again to help ensure that we continue to move in a positive direction.
Candidate: Paul David Terry
Associate Board Member
Current role: Membership Coordinator
Cherokee Nation citizen: Yes
Statement:
My name is Paul David Terry, and I’m running for a board position. Over the past year, I have served as an associate board member with CNCV, taking on the role of interim membership coordinator. During my tenure on the CNCV board, I have participated in and volunteered at several events, taken Cherokee language classes, and attended the Cherokee Nation Community and Cultural Outreach Conference of Community Leaders in Oklahoma. Moving forward, I aim to expand educational opportunities for our group through local partnerships and connections to the reservation. Currently I manage programs at UC Davis and co-chair the Native American Faculty and Staff Association. My background includes extensive volunteering with committees and nonprofits, along with expertise in marketing, communications, and website management. My family migrated from Tahlequah and Muscogee to California during the post-World War II migration. I share my name with my great-uncle, who raised the first flag on Iwo Jima and was featured in the Cherokee Phoenix. His father, also Paul Terry, and my great-grandmother, Maude, lived on the reservation. Maude, a teacher who received a college education in the early 1900s, continues to inspire my commitment to education as I complete my doctorate in international and multicultural education, focusing on human rights. My work addresses the impacts of settler colonialism to foster better community relations and improve our collective well-being. I also teach human rights and social justice courses at UC Davis, Impact Foundry, UC San Francisco, Rise for Racial Justice, and the University of San Francisco. I enjoy growing plants in my indoor and urban garden, using ancestral seeds from the Cherokee seed bank. You may find me geeking out over plant propagation or growing corn, tomatoes, and sunflowers on a small balcony.
Candidate: Sheila Zangrilli
Board Member
Current role: Assistant Chair, Language Committee
Cherokee Nation citizen: Yes
Statement:
Osiyo, Sheila daquadoa. My name is Sheila. I am running for reelection to CNCV Board. I have enjoyed working with the board on your behalf and hope to continue. I also am the Cherokee Language coordinator, working to help you learn and enjoy our language. I hope you will give me a thumbs up at election time. Dodadogohvi (we will see each other again).
Wado nigad! Thank you all!
