[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 76 (Wednesday, May 3, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E599]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     IN TRIBUTE TO LORNA M. SHAWANO

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. GWEN MOORE

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 3, 2017

  Ms. MOORE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Lorna M. Shawano 
who was Tribal Secretary for the Forest County Potawatomi Community for 
26 years.
  Ms. Shawano was involved in securing the approvals of the gaming 
compacts from the State of Wisconsin. The gaming compacts fostered the 
growth of the Forest County Potawatomi from operating a modest bingo 
hall to a nationally recognized entertainment center. During Ms. 
Shawano's tenure, the Potawatomi successfully developed a casino and 
hotel in Milwaukee. Today, Potawatomi Hotel & Casino welcomes more than 
6 million guests annually and has 2,700 team members and eighty-five 
percent of those employees reside in Milwaukee County. It opened in 
1991 as Potawatomi Bingo with a 2,500 seat bingo hall and approximately 
300 team members. She is especially proud of their inclusive hiring 
practices. In fact, over half of the team members working at Potawatomi 
Hotel & Casino are minority.
  Under her tenure as Secretary, the Forest County Potawatomi 
experienced tremendous economic growth and increased sovereignty. Ms. 
Shawano was involved with successful efforts to stop a proposed sulfide 
mine that would have polluted the Tribe's air, water and land; she also 
played a part in the 15 year successful efforts by the Tribe to obtain 
the sovereign right to protect the air over its reservation which 
involved multiple levels of government. Lorna also served on the 
Crandon Indian Education and Mining Impact Boards.
  Ms. Shawano's work as Tribal Secretary with the rest of the Executive 
Council, and the Tribe as a whole, has made the Forest County 
Potawatomi Community into the strong, successful, and respected tribe 
that it is today. While Lorna will no longer serve as Tribal Secretary, 
the leadership she has shown over the years will allow the Forest 
County Potawatomi Tribe to continue to move forward.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to honor Lorna Shawano, along with her 3 
children and of 8 grandchildren. She has lived on the Stone Lake 
Reservation for nearly 45 years. I am proud to call her friend. The 
citizens of the Fourth Congressional District and the State of 
Wisconsin are privileged to have someone of her ability and dedicated 
service working so diligently for so many years. I am honored for these 
reasons to pay tribute to Lorna M. Shawano, for serving as Forest 
County Potawatomi Tribal Secretary for 26 years.

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