Mary Ann Martin Andreas

Tribal Chairwoman, Morongo Band of Mission Indians
Activist, Advocate, Woman of many Achievements for all Indians

Native American Living Legacy Award

The Honorable Mary Ann Martin Andreas is the tribal chairwoman of the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, a 1,000 member Indian tribe near Banning, California. She has been elected tribal chairwoman for four terms of office.

Mary Ann Martin Andreas has worked for the progress not only of her own tribe but also for all California Indians. She has served more than two decades in tribal government and worked closely with city, county, state and federal lawmakers and staff on housing, child welfare, economic development, water and land resources, healthcare, vocational training, education, transportation, environmental protection, elder care, community planning and tribal gaming issues.

Andreas was the first member of her tribe to attend Harvard University where she graduated last year from a special program for senior executives in state and local government.

She began her public service career in the mid-1970's having served as a Morongo tribal council member, a commissioner for the All Mission Indian Housing Authority Board; a tribal delegate for Riverside and San Bernardino County Indian Health, Inc.; and as a member of the Malki Museum, which is dedicated to preserving the cultures and traditions of Southern California Indian tribes.

Her tribe, which once lived in poverty, is now self-sufficient and one of the largest tribal employees in California with more than 1,500 employees in gaming and non-gaming enterprises.

In 1999, she was elected by more than 50 tribal governments to chair historic tribal-state gaming negotiations with the governor of California. Never before in the country had this many tribal governments and a state come together for this purpose. More than 50,000 jobs for California and the economic future of California tribes were at stake. The result was the historic tribal-state compacts approved by the Department of the Interior.

Some of her other accomplishments include:

* 2000-Served as a featured speaker at the Democratic National Convention
* 2000-Serving on the Colorado Regional Water Board
* 2000-First-time-ever recipient of the Lt. Governor's Woman of the Year for the State of California
* 2000-Recipient of the California Black Voice Foundation Woman of Achievement Award
* 2000-Honoree and keynote speaker for the United National Youth, Inc. annual conference
* 1998- Recipient, National Indian Gaming Association, Tribal Leader of the Year

Women's International Center enthusiastically presents the Native American Living Legacy Award to Mary Ann Martin Andreas, a proud Indian woman who speaks for Native Americans everywhere.