Board Member Holly Cook Macarro (Red Lake Band of Ojibwe)

Ms. Cook Macarro is a partner at Spirit Rock Consulting LLC.  Holly has served as the Director of the Office of Native American Affairs at the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and in the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs (Clinton Administration). 

Career

While at the White House, Holly focused specifically on tribal intergovernmental affairs matters and coordinated the first-ever tribal economic development conference hosted by the White House and several federal agencies in 1998.  During her time at the DNC, Ms. Cook Macarro coordinated the national tribal outreach and organizing efforts on behalf of the Democratic Party. 

Holly has served as the national co-chair of the Native Vote initiative at the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) and in GOTV and strategic capacities for several Congressional and Senate candidates.  Holly has also played a key tribal role in advising Democratic Presidential campaigns – helping to develop candidate policies on Indian Country issues, providing guidance regarding tribal outreach, and assisting in various organizing efforts.

Ms. Cook Macarro also has significant political and legislative experience in Indian affairs matters, having served as a federal lobbyist and advocate on behalf of many tribal clients since 2001.  Holly has successfully secured client appropriations tribal-specific projects, secured legislation protecting culturally significant tribal lands from development by a major energy company, secured legislation transferring BLM lands to tribal trust lands, and played a key role in the landmark reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act.  Recently, Holly was successful in navigating through the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate the first Indian water settlement under the guidelines of the newly created legislative and Administration review process for all Indian water settlements.

In addition to the above, Holly has represented clients on such lobbying matters as tribal gaming issues, self-governance, law enforcement, and several client-specific legislative initiatives.

Ms. Cook Macarro is a frequent speaker and presenter at tribal conferences and events, including the National Congress of American Indians, the National Indian Gaming Association, the California Nations Indian Gaming Association, Women Empowering Women for Indian Nations, Native America Calling, the Tribal Association of Sovereign Indian Nations, United National Indian Tribal Youth, and has been an invited contributor to Indian Country Today. 

Education

Ms. Cook Macarro is an enrolled member of the Red Lake Band of Ojibwe and a graduate of the University of North Dakota with a BBA and the University of St. Thomas (St. Paul, MN) with an MBA.  Holly is married and has two sons.