Juneau Empire
Central Council of Tlingit &Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska (Tlingit &Haida) has hired Kimberly Martus as the tribe’s new Tribal Appellate Court Administrator and promoted Ken Truitt to Chief Operating Officer (COO).
Martus’ is a newly created position funded by a grant awarded by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Tribal Justice Support, which is responsible for providing support to tribal justice systems throughout the United States. Working with Tlingit &Haida’s Judiciary Committee and Tribal Court judges, Kimberly will design and implement the first unified tribal appellate court system in Southeast Alaska.
The goal of the appellate court, said Presiding Judge Debra O’Gara in a press release, is to “increase access to justice for tribal citizens and provide for fair and equal administration of tribal justice.”
Martus has served in several tribal court related capacities, including associate appellate justice with the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Court of Appeals; pro tempore judge with the Native Village of Barrow Tribal Court; Tribal Court and Prisoner Reentry Program manager for the Bristol Bay Native Association; Tribal Court Needs Assessment project administrator for Kadiak, LLC; and tribal court training instructor for the University of Alaska’s Tribal Management Program. She has also served as a guardian ad litem in both tribal and state courts and as an assistant public defender representing parents involved in state court child protection cases. Her most recent work involved designing and developing tribal code development training curricula. She authored a chapter on “Incorporating Indigenous Law and Custom into Modern Tribal Codes.”
“Development of tribal judiciaries in Alaska is my passion and I am honored and ecstatic about having the opportunity to assist the tribe with such a progressive and cutting-edge initiative,” Martus said in the release.
Ken Truitt, CCTHITA’s new COO, previously served as the tribe’s deputy chief operating officer. He spent the last year working closely with former COO Corrine Garza to ensure a smooth transition upon her retirement.
As COO, Truitt oversees the Tribal Operations department and provides direct oversight of the following departments: Business &Economic Development, Finance, Head Start, Information Technology, Native Lands &Resources, Property Management, Public Safety, Tribal Transportation, and the Vocational Training &Resource Center. He is also responsible for managing and protecting the tribe’s assets, and provides administrative support and recommendations to the CCTHITA president Richard Peterson in all areas of tribal executive management, including policy development.
Truitt graduated from Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law with emphasis in federal Indian law and is a member of the Alaska Bar Association. He served more than seven years as general counsel for the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC) and formerly served as assistant attorney general for the State of Alaska, director of the Division of the Alaska Pioneers Homes, and in various legislative staff roles.
“I am honored and humbled to be able to serve the tribe in this new role,” said Truitt. “I am especially thankful to the president and my immediate predecessor for selecting me for this position.”
Truitt was born and raised in Sitka. His parents are Dr. Gilbert Truitt (Wooshkeetaan clan) and Shirley Truitt. Truitt is Raven, L’uknax.ádi (Coho Salmon) and is a shareholder of Sealaska and Shee Atika Inc. He is married to Charlotte Truitt and together they have four children — Madison, Marissa, Sydney, and Elena.
Martus is a member the Tongva Tribe, a descendant of the Cupeno Tribe (coyote clan) and Yaqui Tribes. She grew up in and out of Indian Country and holds a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of New Mexico School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Native American Studies from Evergreen State College. She is the mother of two grown sons and grandmother of two grandchildren.
