Melanie Benjamin
Melanie Benjamin was first elected to the four-year term of Chief Executive/Chairwoman of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe in 2000, and was re-elected in 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020. Benjamin previously served as the Band’s Commissioner of Administration and Sr. Vice President of Administration and Finance at Grand Casino Hinckley. As Chief Executive, Benjamin leads the Executive Branch of Band government and is responsible for conducting external relations with other governments.
Benjamin current service as a board member includes: Native American Finance Officer’s Association; Women Empowering Women for Indian Nations; American Indian Law Resource Center, National Indian Gaming Association, Midwest Alliance of Sovereign Tribes, Minnesota Board on Aging, MN Housing Finance Agency and U.S. Attorney Generals’ Tribal Nations Leadership Council. Minnesota Housing Finance Agency and the Minnesota Board on Aging, the U.S. Department of Interior Self-Governance Negotiated Rulemaking Committee and Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan’s Young Women’s Leadership Council.
Benjamin holds a Master’s degree in Education and a B.S. in Business Administration.