Event Details

Laurie W. Rush, PhD, RPA, Cultural Resources Program Manager and Native American Affairs Liaison, Department of the Army, Fort Drum, New York

Dr. Rush has a BA from Indiana University Bloomington, an MA and PhD from Northwestern University, and is a Fellow of the American Academy in Rome. Her research specialty is Native Americans of the Great Lakes, and she is an Army Archaeologist who serves as Cultural Resources Manager and Native American Affairs Coordinator for the 10th Mountain Division and Fort Drum. Dr. Rush is a Research Associate of the Smithsonian Institution, a University of Pennsylvania Consulting Scholar, and Secretary of
the US Committee of the Blue Shield. She initiated the consultation program at Fort Drum, NY over 20 years ago and is proud of the partnerships the Installation has established with the Oneida Indian Nation, the Onondaga Nation, and the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe.

After consulting with Native American Tribes from coast to coast, the US Department of Defense developed the American Indian and Alaska Native Policy in 1998. This consultation policy takes the form of official guidance, but when read carefully, you will find a road map for establishing meaningful partnerships between US government agencies and the other sovereign nations of North America. This course will offer step-by-step instructions for building consultation partnerships based on the policy, with additional details about lessons learned over the course of the last 20 years from establishing government to government and staff to staff partnerships at a US Army installation.

1. Understand how to initiate and implement a meaningful consultation program for your agency.
2. Understand the two levels of consultation relationships – government to government vs staff to staff.
3. Understand the importance of context for effective meetings.
4. Understand the goals for establishing meaningful consultation partnerships.
5. Opportunities to benefit from lessons learned.