Menominee trailblazer recognized nationally

A member of the Menominee Indian Tribe is winning national honors as a rising young leader among Native Americans in Wisconsin and beyond.

Crystal Chapman-Chevalier, the youngest member of the Menominee Tribal Legislature, has been named among the “Native American 40 Under 40” throughout the United States for 2015.

The honor is bestowed annually among the Indian tribe members who have distinguished themselves with achievements in their communities before reaching their 40th birthdays.

“It’s an honor, and it’s a little bit humbling,” Chapman-Chevalier said.

Chapman-Chevalier, 35, is completing her first three-year term as a member of the Menominee legislative council, the elected nine-member governing board that oversees the tribe and reservation. She is chairwoman of the council’s government affairs committee and also chairwoman of the Menominee Indian Gaming Authority.

Tribal Chairman Gary Besaw said Chapman-Chevalier is a thoughtful policy-maker who benefits the tribe by always considering the impact of her decisions.

“Crystal is a great example of an intelligent, educated, young Menominee woman,” Besaw said.

The group that selects the 40 Under 40 is the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development, a nonprofit organization based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, that promotes business growth among tribes.

The 40 honorees were recognized at a gala event Nov. 18 in Santa Fe.

Gary Davis, president of the national group, said the recipients all are deserving young leaders who have shown initiative and commitment to their communities.

“If we are to expand economic opportunity in Indian Country, we need innovative and entrepreneurial Native American leaders,” Davis said. “The 40 Under 40 recipients have all demonstrated their dedication to moving their communities forward.”

Chapman-Chevalier, who lives in Keshena with her husband, Michael, and their two daughters, works as a youth development educator with the University of Wisconsin Extension in Menominee County. She was honored by the University of Wisconsin earlier this year with an “Outstanding Woman of Color” award.

She was inspired to get involved in tribal leadership by her grandmother, Lucille Chapman, who served five terms as tribal chairwoman, and by her uncle, Michael Chapman, another former chairman who now serves as the Menominee County Board chairman.

Chapman-Chevalier said she ran for legislative council because she wanted to give voice to young tribal members who, she said, sometimes feel distrustful or disenfranchised by government. She said she works to ensure that young people have equality and opportunity the same as other members of the tribe.

Although it is hard work, she pointed out that her grandmother handled the task of tribal chairwoman while juggling family obligations and more.

“Knowing that she could do it all, kind of inspires me,” Chapman-Chevalier said.

Now pursuing a master’s degree in organizational change leadership from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, Chapman-Chevalier plans to stay active in the community, but she is not looking too far ahead.

“Every day is a gift,” she said. “I just do what I can with the time I have.”