Published on Jun 11, 2022
ANCHORAGE, AK – The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) announced today that its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dante Desiderio is observing an administrative leave of absence, effective yesterday.
“While we acknowledge the timing of this leave is inopportune given that the NCAI Mid-Year Convention commences on Sunday, June 12, the Executive Committee, the governing body of NCAI, agrees that placing the CEO on a temporary administrative leave is necessary and proper to fulfill their fiduciary governance duties and to abide by NCAI's policies and procedures,” said Fawn Sharp, President of NCAI. “Thank you in advance for understanding that we are not in a position to share more information regarding Desiderio’s leave and for respecting his privacy.”
Desiderio has not separated from the organization and his leave is appropriate under the organization's policies governing the current situation. The Executive Committee will temporarily rely on its existing internal team leaders, Dr. Yvette Roubideaux, Larry Wright, Jr., and Warren Hope to administer the important day-to-day work of NCAI. NCAI is confident that the leadership stepping in will ensure that the Mid-Year Convention is a success and that operational tasks are carried out with integrity.
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