Taimi Lynne Hoag Award for Environmental Stewardship
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The Taimi Lynne Hoag Award for Environmental Stewardship recognizes significant contributions in environmental management and/or stewardship within Region 5 Indian Country. The Award is given in honor of Taimi Lynne Hoag who was called back home to the Creator in 2002. Ms. Hoag served as the Environmental Director for the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians from 1999-2002. Taimi was a leader at the local, regional and national levels for environmental protection in Indian Country. She advocated for Tribal sovereignty and worked to strengthen the government-to-government relationships on environmental issues. The Award was established in 2003 by the Region 5 Tribal Operations Committee to recognize Tribal professionals and/or elected officials in the region who show leadership, dedication, advocacy and progress on environmental issues. The Award is typically presented to the recipient each March at the RTOC meeting scheduled in conjunction with the Tribal Environmental Program Management Conference held at the EPA offices in Chicago.
Previous Award Recipients
- 2003 Patty O’Donnell, Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians
- 2004 Don Wedll, Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe
- 2005 Dwight Sargent, Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan, Inc.
- 2006 Christine Berini, Fond du Lac Band
- 2007 Nancy Schuldt, Fond du Lac Band
- 2008 Jennifer Hill-Kelley, Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin
- 2009 Susan LaFernier, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community
- 2010 Dee Ann Mayo, Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians
- 2011 Jeff Mears, Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin
- 2012 Stanley Ellison, Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community
- 2013 Margaret Watkins, Grand Portage Band
- 2014 Kathleen Brosemer, Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa
- 2015 Frank Ettawageshik, Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians
- 2016 John Coleman, Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission
- 2017 Douglas Cox, Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin
- 2018 No Award presented (no nominations received)
- 2019 Evelyn Ravindran, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community
- 2020 Brandy Toft, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe
- 2021 Mark Parrish, Pokagon Band of Potawatomi
- 2022 Dr. Seth Moore, Grand Portage Band of Chippewa
- 2023 Victoria Flowers, Oneida Nation
- 2024 No Award presented (no nominations received)
2025 Taimi Lynne Hoag Award Schedule
- December 2025: Request for nominees will be sent to Tribal environmental departments.
- January 19, 2026: Deadline for nominations to be submitted to Tribal and International Affairs Division.
- January 30, 2026: Regional Tribal Caucus will select an Award recipient.
- March 9-13, 2026: Award will be presented to the recipient during the week of the Tribal Environmental Program Management Conference at the Chicago EPA office.
For more information, please contact Melanie Nowin (Nowin.Melanie@epa.gov), (312)-353-9199.