Tribal Administration
Government Center
The tribal administration was created to oversee all aspects of the Nation and to ensure that each person in the community is considered and heard. The administration keeps the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation running smoothly and is completely compliant with the Federal Government.
General Manager of Tribal Operations Office
This office serves as the liaison between the Tribal Council and the program directors, primarily to assist directors in making proposals and responses to the Council. The General Manager has supervisory responsibility over all program directors, managers and coordinators and assists with program development, resolution of issues and coordination of multi-program activities. The General Manager also coordinates and develops program budgets with the directors and works cooperatively with the fiscal and accounting department.
Please contact the General Manager’s office if you have questions or concerns regarding tribal programs and services all (785) 966-3900 or (785) 966-3944.
Member Services
Member Services has merged three key services which were at one time the Enrollment, Election, and Per-Capita departments. Member Services now provides assistance in all three areas from one central office. The office is located on the upper level at the PBPN Government Center.
There are nearly 5,000 enrolled members of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation. Enrollment has declined considerably since a May 2000 amendment to the constitution which made it necessary for members to possess at least 1/4 PBP Nation blood.
Applications for enrollment are available through the Member Services Department. All applications reviewed for enrollment must be complete. All incomplete applications will be returned to prospective members with 30 days to make revisions before the application goes before the Enrollment Review Committee to determine eligibility.
The Election Board can also be contacted through the Member Services Department. The goal of the Election Board is to conduct orderly elections in accordance with the provisions of the Election Ordinance. The Election Board requires 75 working days to prepare for a national election. The schedule includes a start-up date, date to mail announcement of upcoming election to adult Nation members, deadline date to file for candidacy, cut-off date to register (if not already registered prior to an election), set-up date to mail ballots to registered voters and the scheduled election date. Nation members who are not registered to vote are encouraged to register.
Per Capita services are handled through the Member Services Department. Member Services will be responsible for distributing shared casino revenue payments to all enrolled tribal members per the eligibility guidelines and to report those amounts to the Internal Revenue Service.
For additional information contact Member Services Department at (785) 966-3934 or toll free at (877) 715-6789.
Grants Office
The mission of the Grants office is to develop programs and projects in coordination with program directors and the Tribal Council. All development must be in synchronization with program planning and guidance from the Tribal Council. The Grants office also coordinates evaluation of the management and organizational efficiency of national programs. Lastly, the Grants office has taken steps to serve an increasing number of inquiries by Nation members into establishing a small or home-based business.
For more information call (785) 966-4053, fax (785) 966-4001.
Human Resource Department
The responsibilities of the Human Resource Department include administration of personnel policies and health insurance plans, tracking employee's hours of work and all leave time. The Human Resource staff works closely with other program supervisors and directors to plan and implement effective personnel staffing plans. The department continually implements new wage and salary scales for all employees so workers on the reservation can enjoy increased financial freedom. The main goal of the Human Resource Department is to provide on-going training for all employees. The department schedules quarterly training sessions with varying employment/employee topics that enhance and increase productivity.
For additional information contact (785) 966-3060 or fax (785) 966-3062.
Newspaper and website
The Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation newspaper and website are the Nation’s primary communication tools that have the purpose of distributing local news items and contributing news items received from PBPN members and other sources throughout the United States. Beginning in late 1998 the newspaper was readily embraced by PBPN members and in 2005 received an general excellence award from the Native American Journalists Association. The newspaper office is located in the Government Center and is staffed by an editor who edits the website and ensures the newspaper is distributed on a quarterly basis.
For more information call (785) 966-3920 or fax (785) 966-3912.