WEDC creates new position to advance Tribal economic development

Building relationships with Wisconsin’s Tribes

David Flemming, WEDC Tribal liaison

In a move to strengthen ties with Wisconsin’s Native American communities, WEDC has named David “Waabigekek” Fleming Sr. as its new Tribal liaison.

Fleming will be the first point of contact for WEDC in its relationships with administrators, grant writers, and other leaders within the state’s Tribes.

Fleming, a member of the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe, joined WEDC’s Office of Rural Prosperity (ORP) in January 2022 as a program specialist with the Revitalizing Economic Vibrancy After a Major Pandemic (REVAMP) program. When that appointment ended, he became one of ORP’s two rural development specialists for Thrive Rural Wisconsin, focusing on economic development in five northern Wisconsin communities, including the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.

Fleming, who earned a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Wisconsin-Superior and a master’s in business administration from UW-Eau Claire, has also served as business manager for the Lac Courte Oreilles and business instructor at the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe College in Hayward, and he has been an entrepreneur, owning and managing several businesses.

In his new position, Fleming will focus on WEDC’s relationships with all 11 of Wisconsin’s federally recognized Tribes. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Wisconsin had nearly 44,000 Native American residents as of 2022. In a recent interview, Fleming described his vision for the new role.

Q: What do you hope to accomplish as Tribal liaison?

A: My goal is to provide a practical path for both the Tribes and WEDC to work together to increase economic development opportunities. Tribal communities have not always utilized some of the opportunities WEDC provides. One of my first roles is to serve as an intermediary to help WEDC understand the nuances of Tribal communities. At the same time, I want to make sure the Tribes know how they can access WEDC’s offerings and events.

Q: Where do you see opportunities for growth? What are Tribal communities missing out on?

A: I think both enterprises by Tribal members and Tribal-owned businesses tend to overlook some of the programs WEDC offers—for example, Entrepreneurship Partner Grants and Community Development Grants. We need to make sure they know they’re included.

We won’t just promote WEDC and our opportunities; we’re also going to work to publicize other programs. For example, the U.S. Treasury Department has the State Small Business Credit Initiative Program that includes Tribes. One of our projects is to see how we can align our statewide allocations with the Tribal allocations.

Q: How would you describe the economic situations of the state’s Tribes?

A: Unemployment is typically higher and income levels are generally lower than the statewide average. There are higher rates of diabetes and other chronic health problems. A lot of this is because of the unique geographic location of the Tribes and lack of access to healthy foods. Lately, we’ve been seeing incomes rise and unemployment decrease, and I think it’s largely due to the success of Tribal enterprises over the last few decades. Infrastructure also has gotten better. Overall, I think we’ve seen an improvement in the relationships between the state and the Tribes.

Q: How does the self-governance of Wisconsin’s Native communities affect those relationships?

A: Tribal leaders and elders determine what a healthy community looks like. And one of the basic differences is that there’s less of a focus on wealth accumulation and using assets as a measure. It’s more along the lines of language revitalization and what you might call the “happiness factor.” Generally, you will hear Tribal leaders talk about taking care of elders, taking care of youth, and things like that, and those are more valuable economic measures than individual incomes.

Q: What’s the composition of Tribal leadership?

A: Leaders are elected and they have a variety of backgrounds and they change every couple of years. Administrators and planners are long-term—that’s where WEDC has the strongest relationships. And elders are always providing input to leaders and helping to shape the flavor of Tribal engagement. They can be the leaders, and are definitely respected members of the community.

Q: What are your first steps?

A: What we’re working on internally is how to measure how successful we are and if we’re doing the right things. We’re listening closely to Tribal leaders to see what their priorities are and how we can align with them, being very careful not to push our programs or our ideology on their way of thinking about economic development.

Tribal economic development is comprehensive; it’s not solely business development or industry. It really involves working with the whole community on issues that may involve social problems, housing needs, the opioid epidemic, transportation, infrastructure needs, and workforce development.

Q: How will you go about forging relationships with the Native communities?

A: One of the key things, at first, will be to let Tribal leaders and administrators know that I’m here, and what resources WEDC can bring to the table. It’s also about creating awareness of each other’s activities.

We want to get input from the Native communities as we develop programming so that it is relevant to them. We also want to be tuned in to Tribal development; sometimes very innovative ideas come from Tribal leadership. We want to be aware so that we can say: Hey, that’s a great idea and here’s how we can support that.

At the same time, some Tribes want to do things on their own, in their way. We have to know when to respect those wishes.

Q: How do you feel about your new position?

A: It’s exciting. Since I’ve been here, I’ve been discussing with WEDC the unique relationship that’s needed with Tribal nations. It’s not a racial issue; it’s a political class, kind of like our relationship with Ontario or Canada—a domestic sovereign. Tribal economic development is nuanced enough that we need a specialist, someone who really understands. And it’s a lot of work because each tribe operates differently. You really need 11 different road maps.

I think WEDC’s and Governor Tony Evers’s commitment to strengthening relationships with Tribal nations will help make sure Tribal residents will have the same access to state programs as other Wisconsin residents. I think this role is going to help make that happen.