Tribal Advisor

Melanie Benjamin was first elected to the four-year term of Chief Executive/Chairwoman of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe in 2000, and has been re-elected every four years since. She is currently serving her sixth term as Chief Executive, the highest elected position in Band government. Benjamin leads the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe’s Executive Branch within the Band’s division-of-powers system of governance.  Prior to serving as Chief Executive, Benjamin served as the Band’s Commissioner of Administration and Sr. Vice President of Administration and Finance at Grand Casino Hinckley.

Benjamin serves on numerous boards, including the Native American Finance Officers Association; Women Empowering Women for Indian Nations; American Indian Law Resource Center, National Indian Gaming Association, the Midwest Alliance of Sovereign Tribes, Minnesota Board on Aging, U.S. Attorney General’s Tribal Nations Leadership Council; Minnesota Housing Finance Agency; Minnesota Board on Aging and others.

Benjamin holds a Master’s degree in Education and a B.S. in Business Administration.