MAYETTA, Kans. –  Liana Onnen has been elected Tribal Council chairperson for the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation (PBPN) by the tribal membership.  

Onnen holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Washburn University and has worked for the PBPN for twelve years.  During her tenure with the Nation, she served as the general manager of tribal operations, director of Housing & Resources and she has also worked on the staff in the Human Resources department.  She resides in Topeka.

Onnen replaces Stephen R. Ortiz who served as chairperson for four years.  The Tribal Council is composed of seven members who are elected to staggered four-year terms.  Officers including Onnen are Vice Chairperson Joyce Guerrero, Secretary Camilla Chouteau, Treasurer Hattie Mitchell, and three Tribal Council members who are Warren “Junior” Wahweotten, Thomas Wabnum and Carrie O’Toole.

Others recently elected by the tribal membership include Camilla Chouteau, Tribal Council secretary, and Rey Kitchkumme who was re-elected to a seat on the Gaming Commission.

The Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation is one of four-federally recognized tribes that is located in northeast Kansas and is headquartered near Mayetta, Kansas.  The tribe has almost 5,000 tribal members and is a federally recognized sovereign nation.