Menominee Tribe seeks applicants for gaming commission seat

Any Menominee Tribal member who wants a role in gaming oversight has until 12 p.m. June 24, 2026, to submit a letter of interest by email or in person to the MITW Chairman's Office. The tribe posted the notice May 29, opening a window for one of the reservation's most closely watched governance seats.

The Menominee Tribal Gaming Commission is not a ceremonial panel. The tribe’s Gaming Code, Ordinance No. 93-30, enacted Jan. 20, 1994, established the commission as the regulatory body empowered to issue Class I, II and III gaming rules and regulations and to issue gaming licenses consistent with tribal, state and federal law. That makes the seat important well beyond the casino floor, because it shapes how the tribe protects gaming credibility, enforces compliance and keeps a major tribal business operating under clear rules.

The Menominee Indian Gaming Authority adds another layer of formal government structure. It was created under Menominee Tribal Ordinance No. 97-06 and is authorized to transact business under Article XIII, Section 1 of the Menominee Constitution and Bylaws. In Wisconsin, where the Department of Administration says the state has gaming compact agreements with all 11 federally recognized tribes, tribal gaming oversight sits inside a legal framework that connects tribal law, state agreements and federal authority.

The gaming department directory shows how much of that work is already embedded in the tribe’s administrative system. Lynnette Miller serves as executive director - gaming, Robert Penass is senior compliance enforcement officer, Patricia Hesse is senior background investigator, Rose Ponfil-Shields is background investigator specialist, Lisa Swiney is internal auditor gaming and Wade Waupekenay is staff auditor gaming. An open commission seat would join that structure of compliance review, background checks and internal auditing, which is why the vacancy carries real weight for governance inside the Menominee Indian Reservation.

The timing also places the notice inside a busy stretch of tribal business. The Menominee Tribal Legislature calendar listed a regular meeting for June 4, 2026, and the tribe also posted a separate College of Menominee Nation Board of Directors interest notice with the same June 24 deadline. For members in Keshena and across Menominee County, the opening is a direct chance to help decide who will help supervise an enterprise that matters to tribal revenue, tribal operations and the community programs that depend on strong oversight.