Melanie Benjamin (Ojibwe leader)
Native American politician
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Melanie Benjamin is chief executive of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, a sovereign, federally-recognized American Indian tribal government in the Mille Lacs Indian Reservation in east-central Minnesota, USA.[1]
Melanie Benjamin | |
|---|---|
| Occupations | Chief executive, Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe |
| Website | millelacsband |
Biography
Benjamin was originally elected chief executive of the band in 2000, and re-elected in 2004 and 2008.[2] In October 2008, shortly after the start of her third term, she was removed from office following accusations of misappropriation of tribal funds.[3] She was again elected chief executive in 2012[4] and in 2016.[5] In 2020, Benjamin was again re-elected by the citizens of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe to her sixth consecutive four-year term.[6] In 2018, Benjamin addressed the Band's opioid crisis and provided harsh comments to traditionally Band-supportive groups on their lack of assistance to the Tribe.[7] In January 2024, Benjamin announced that she would not seek a seventh term in office.[8]
