The Right Path Has a New Leader and a New Class

Juanita Wilson has come on board as Program Manager for The Right Path (pronounced duyug(o)dv(i) ganvnv(i), a culture-based leadership development program for adult members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, and the 2011-12 class of the program has just begun a rigorous year of learning.

The Right Path, which just finished its inaugural year, works to bridge the past and present by examining traditional cultural elements as well as contemporary leadership competencies. The purpose of adult and youth leadership programs developed by Cherokee Preservation Foundation and members of the community is to help teach the concept of selfless leadership and encourage emerging leaders to draw on Cherokee traditions in their decision making process.

The new 2011-12 class of leaders enrolled in the program includes Mike Thompson, Monaka Wildcatt, Jeremy Wilson, Patrick Hill, Damian Solis, Lucretia Hicks, Kelly Murphy and Janet Owle. Hicks and Solis are recent alumni of the Jones-Bowman Leadership Award Program for college undergraduates, and we are gratified they have chosen to take advantage of the life-long learning programs now available to EBCI members (the Cherokee Youth Council, the Costa Rica Eco-Study Tour, the Jones-Bowman Leadership Award Program and The Right Path).Juanita Wilson

• Lucretia Hicks (Painttown) graduated from Wake Forest University with Master's degree in 2010, and her goal is to work at the Cherokee Hospital. Presently she is employed at EBCI Travel and Tourism. At Wake Forest, she helped found the Native American Student Association.

• Patrick Hill (Big Cove) is enrolled at Southwestern Community College and works at the Tribe's Big Cove Recreation Center. He has a child who is enrolled at the Kituwah Academy

• Kelly Murphy (Painttown) has an Early Childhood Education degree from Southwestern Community College and works at the Kituwah Academy. She enjoys speaking the Cherokee language and beadwork.

• Janet Owle (Wolfetown) has a B.S. in Family/Consumer Sciences with a Youth Issues minor, and she works at the EBCI Cooperative Extension Center as community outreach coordinator. She will be a chaperone for the Costa Rica Eco-Study Tour in 2012. She has taken up quilting.

• Damian Solis (Big Cove) has a B.S. in sports management from Western Carolina University and is now starting work in Cullowhee on a Master's degree. He works at the EBCI Diabetes Program.

• Mike Thompson (Big Y) manages information technology for the Tribal Council House. He performs with a drum group and likes to attend powwows and stomp dances.

• Monaka Wildcatt (Big Cove) has a B.A. in social work and works at the Jackson County Department of Social Services. She enjoys beading and playing the piano.

• Jeremy Wilson (Big Y), a fitness instructor at the Cherokee Life Center and a Southwestern Community College graduate, will begin pursuing a degree in sociology at Western Carolina University in the spring. Several years ago, he was one of the first to join the Cherokee Youth Council and participate in the Costa Rica Eco-Study Tour, and later he served as a facilitator for the Cherokee Youth Council.

Steering Committee members Roseanna Belt (chair), Mara Bird Nelson (vice chair), Kevin Jackson, Tom Belt, Gilliam Jackson and Yona Wade nominated program candidates.

Juanita Wilson is the first Program Manager of The Right Path and served as a consultant in the pilot phase of the program. Previously, she was employed as Site Director for the "Today, Not Tomorrow" alcohol prevention program in the Cherokee Central and Swain County schools, Deputy Administrative Officer for the EBCI and a Program Director for Cherokee Preservation Foundation.

Wilson earned a Master of Science in Management and Leadership at Montreat College and a Bachelor of Science in Sociology at Western Carolina University. She has been chair of the Oconaluftee Institute for Cultural Arts Advisory Board since 2005, and chaired the Board of Director of the Region A Partnership for Children from 2008 to 2011. She is also a member of the Cherokee Healing & Wellness Coalition.

Beginning in 2012, The Right Path will be managed under the auspices of Southwestern Community College.