Oweesta informs Native community development policy in Washington

Provides Testimony to House Committee and Offers Insight to Obama Administration


March 15, 2010, Washington, D.C. // First Nations Oweesta Corporation (Oweesta), a national Native community development organization, wrapped up a busy week of advocacy efforts on Friday in Washington, D.C. that included testifying at a committee hearing of the U.S. House of Representatives  and participating in a financial capability discussion hosted by the Obama Administration at the White House.


On Tuesday, March 9, 2010, Tanya Fiddler, Oweesta’s Vice President of Programs and Operations, provided testimony to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Financial Services at a hearing entitled, “Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs): Their Unique Role and Challenges Serving Lower-Income, Underserved and Minority Communities.” Along with other select community development practitioners from across the nation, Ms. Fiddler was able to offer a unique perspective on the role Native CDFIs have in transforming not only their local economies but also how they play a key role in the  nation’s overall economic recovery efforts.  Ms. Fiddler urged Congress to continue its support of the CDFI Fund, a major funding and training source for these specialized community-based financial institutions.


“These Native CDFIs are enabling Native people to build stronger, more self-sufficient communities and nations. Native CDFIs help to develop local economies by creating entrepreneurs and businesses, increasing homeownership, and empowering community members to reach their financial goals. Native CDFIs provide locally-based access to capital and the necessary capacity building services to bring permanent and positive change to Native economies,” stated Ms. Fiddler in her testimony.


This sentiment was unanimously expressed by the other seven witnesses as they spoke of the role CDFIs played in the communities that they serve, whether Native or non-Native, rural or urban, or local or national. In his testimony, Treasury Assistant Secretary for Financial Institutions, Michael S. Barr noted, “As we seek an economic recovery that reaches communities across America, CDFIs are a critically important piece of our broader commitment to an inclusive recovery. CDFIs provide capital, credit, and financial services to hard-to-reach communities and underserved populations. In both rural and urban America, CDFIs are assisting the entrepreneurs and small businesses that are vital engines of economic growth.” More importantly, all witnesses shared how the work of CDFIs has made a difference in individual lives and created opportunity where there once was none.


Later in the week, on March 11, 2010, Ms. Fiddler and Vickie Oldman-John, Oweesta’s Director of Financial Education & Asset Building, served as the voice for Native communities at a key listening session on financial capability hosted by the Obama Administration at the White House. The Obama Administration is currently working to ensure that every American has the financial knowledge, skills, and access they need to take control of their financial futures. This key listening session was designed to invoke comments and feedback from the approximately 50 attendees representing the financial education field regarding challenges surrounding financial literacy and strategies for possible solutions.


With nearly a decade of experience in establishing Native financial education programs across the nation, Oweesta was able to provided valuable input at this forum to help inform national policy moving forward. “It was refreshing to see the Administration focusing on financial education. Oweesta has been working to increase financial literacy in Native communities for years. I am pleased that Oweesta and the Administration’s efforts on this front are in alignment, and I look forward to a dynamic working relationship as we work towards a common goal,” states Ms. Oldman-John.




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About Oweesta

As a leader of the Native community development movement, Oweesta (www.oweesta.org) uses its unique products and services to guide and empower people to transform Native economies into self-sufficient thriving systems. Its mission is to provide opportunities for Native people to develop assets and create wealth by assisting in the establishment of strong, permanent institutions and programs, leading to economic independence and strengthening sovereignty for all Native communities.