Heather LaTray
Hometown:
Cut Bank, Montana
Heather is excited to leverage her 20+ years of experience working in Indian Country and collaborate on a region-wide project. She is eager to explore the feasibility of leveraging innovative technology like sustainable energy to create inclusive economic opportunities across tribal networks, especially in areas with limited access to traditional revenue-generating resources.
Heather is partnered with Native American Development Corporation (NADC) in Billings, Montana, to create and implement strategies to increase organizational capacity to serve surrounding Native communities. Her prior professional background is in engineering, construction, transportation, technical consulting, and small business development. Outside of work, Heather loves traveling to new places with her husband and three sons, and volunteering with several local social services organizations.
ERC Project
Project Title:
Opportunities in Indian Country!
Host Community or Region:
Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming
Host Organization:
Native American Development Corporation
This capacity building initiative led by the Native American Development Corporation (NADC) is vital for unleashing a new era of Indigenous business growth and re-establishing functional economies throughout Indian Country (Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming) with an added focus in Montana. The ERC Fellow will play a pivotal role in delivering business technical assistance, analyzing opportunities, and facilitating resource development across the region, while increasing access to capital for large projects and building beneficial partnerships to leverage investment opportunities regionwide. The fellow will contribute to a state-wide Tribal Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) document, engage with Tribal Planners, and aid in the implementation of identified projects. The outcome of this initiative is to impact numerous Indigenous communities, fostering economic development and self-sufficiency for a more resilient future.
Interested in supporting this project or learning more? Contact the ERC program team here.
