I’m in Reno, NV this week for TribalNet 2025. It’s a fantastic event where Tribal governments and organizations gather to share successes and learn from each other. What makes it so unique is the incredible mix of industries represented, from government and healthcare to gaming and hospitality. This creates a diverse environment full of varied IT and human perspectives.

Here are the sessions I attended on Day 1, along with my key takeaways from each.

The Technology Steering Committee: What, Why, and How

This session with Renita DiStefano and Dawn McGrady was an eye-opener on how to establish a successful technology strategy. My biggest insight was that executive sponsorship is critical. It’s not an “IT problem” to solve; it’s a leader-led process that’s “IT enabled.” If the IT department is the only one passionate about forming a technology steering committee, it has little chance of succeeding, especially in hierarchical organizations.

Technology Supporting Language Preservation

Zachary Harbort and Wayne Yandell from the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma showed some incredible work on using technology to help save languages. I’ve worked with both Zack and Wayne for a few years now and I’m constantly impressed by thier work, they are special talent. The core message I took away was that there’s no time to wait—start small and build the foundation now. Language loss is a critical systems issue, and we can’t afford to put off addressing it.

Better Project Management: How to Be Effective with Limited Resources

This was a highly practical session led by Christopher Farris, Jonathan Mason, and Neile Vance. They shared scalable strategies for managing projects with limited resources. My favorite quote from the session, and a key insight for me, was that “change management isn’t a conversation, it’s a thread.” This perfectly captures the idea that managing change should be a continuous part of every project, not a one-time discussion.