At the wishes of the family, the Southern Ute Indian Tribe is sharing the obituary and service information for the late, Rita Elaine Newton. 

Obituary for Rita Elaine Newton

 

Southern Ute Indian Reservation – Rita Elaine Newton, passed on January 14, 2020. Elaine was a wife, mother, daughter, sister and grandmother, she was 62 years old.

Elaine was born on January 21, 1957 in Las Vegas, NV to Josephine and Jose R. Olguin.

Elaine is survived by her husband of 43 years, Jim R. Newton, Sr., granddaughter Maylon Newton, brothers James M. Olguin (Dee), Myron Olguin (Diane), and Roberta Lohrey all of Ignacio, CO.

Elaine is preceded in death by her father, Jose R. Olguin, and son, Chairman Jim R. Newton, Jr.

Elaine was a person with a huge heart filled with servitude, compassion, and encouragement to her family, friends, tribal membership and the greater community. She was loved by everyone and her impacts will be forever lasting on both a personal and professional level. On January 26, 1976 she married the love of her life, Jimmy R. Newton and together they welcomed their only child, Jim R. Newton, Jr. Elaine loved being a wife and a mother. The love and passion to serve her people helped shaped the same passions into her son who was elected to Tribal Council and Chairman of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe. She loved to travel with her husband and other family members. When her son, Jim, was on the powwow circuit, Elaine was known to travel right beside him.

During her years as Judge, her contributions were significant and many of the policies and programs that she created are still intact today. Judge Newton was passionate for traditional forms of justice which aimed to rehabilitate the individuals who came before her. Her sentences were non-traditional in the eyes of many courts, but she understood the unique backgrounds and needs to rehabilitate the entire community that she loved. Elaine spent 34 years in law enforcement and judicial services of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe. In 1988, Elaine began her career with tribal court as a paralegal, she was then promoted to Associate Judge for four years and finally Chief Judge for 17 years. She also dedicated her time in Tribal Planning working on Economic Development, Tribal Services, and the Department of Natural Resources.

She enjoyed doing crafts, another passion she passed to her son. In the Spring and Summer months, her family and friends could often find her in her garden. She loved to grow flowers and grew traditional plants, such as tobacco. Elaine will be deeply missed by her family, friends, colleagues, and the surrounding communities.

A rosary will be recited on Friday, January 17, 2020 at 6:00 p.m. at the St. Ignatius Catholic Church. On Saturday, January 18, 2020 beginning at 9:30 a.m. at the St Ignatius Catholic Church, a eulogy will be read, church services will begin at 10:00 a.m., with burial to follow at Ouray Cemetery.

A luncheon will begin at 12:00 p.m. at the Sky Ute Casino Resort, Event Center. The family welcomes everyone to attend.

Southern Ute Growth Fund hires one of their own as Vice President of Human Resources

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT

Shane Seibel, Executive Director – 970.563.5000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 8, 2020 – 08:20 A.M.

Southern Ute Indian Reservation –

The Southern Ute Growth Fund has hired Maria Baker, a Southern Ute Tribal Member, as the Vice President of Human Resources. She will assume the responsibilities as VP on Monday, January 6, 2020.

“I am excited for this opportunity. I appreciate the support I have received from the Directors and Tribal Council. I am going to build on the foundation I received while working for Cathy Otten, learning from her expertise for the past 14 years,” stated Baker.

Baker started her professional career with the Southern Ute Department of Education in 2001, training under Mr. Lee Briggs, and taking over responsibility as the Distance Learning Coordinator helping to bring degreed programs to the Southern Ute Tribal Members on the reservation. After working in education for four years, Baker received an unpassable opportunity within the Southern Ute Growth Fund, Human Resources as the Tribal Members Employment Coordinator. Her background with education proved to be helpful in transitioning Tribal Members into positions within the Southern Ute Growth Fund. She has spent 18 years with the Tribe and most recently as the HR Training Coordinator and Assistant HR Manager.

Baker received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Fort Lewis College in 2000.

As an avid outdoorsman, she currently sits on the Southern Ute Wildlife – Wildlife Advisory Board and in her downtime enjoys hunting and fishing. She also has sat on the KSUT Board of Directors, Del Alma Board of Directors, and the Durango Adult Education Board of Directors. Baker also enjoys spending time with family.

 

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20200106 – Southern Ute Growth Fund hires one of their own as Vice President of Human Resources

Southern Ute Indian Tribe Appoints New Director of Energy

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT

Christine Sage, Chairman – 970.563.0100

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 6, 2020 – 11:05 A.M.

Southern Ute Indian Reservation – The Southern Ute Indian Tribal Council has appointed Mrs. Kourtney Hadrick as the new Director of Energy for the Southern Ute Growth Fund. She will begin on Monday, January 6, 2020.

Hadrick has over 22 years of technical and management experience in the oil and gas and petrochemical industries. She has held various leadership roles with the Tribe’s energy businesses since 2012, most recently as the President/COO for both Red Cedar Gathering Company and Aka Energy, LLC. Prior to her employment with the Tribe, Hadrick was employed by BP America Production Company. Her experience with BP included engineering, operations, and multiple management positions for upstream and midstream assets located in Colorado, Louisiana, Texas, and Wyoming.

Hadrick holds her Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University and a Management Certificate from MIT Sloan Business School.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to serve as the Energy Director for the Southern Ute Indian Tribe. I am looking forward to working with the Tribal Council, the Directors, Growth Fund Management Committee and the organization in my new role. Together, we will ensure the Tribe is a strategic leader in safe, environmentally responsible, and efficient energy production; the value of the Tribe’s current energy portfolio is maximized; and the talent within the organization and the membership are developed to meet the current and future needs of the business,” stated Hadrick.

Hadrick has been married to Rob Hadrick for 17 years and they have three children: Will (15), Ellie (14), and Maddi (8). Away from the office, Hadrick enjoys spending time with her family, yoga, running, skiing, and mountain biking.

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20200103 – Southern Ute Indian Tribe Appoints New Director of Energy

Tribal Council Evaluating Status of the Southern Ute Detention Center

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT

Christine Sage, Chairman – 970.563.0100

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 6, 2020 – 10:55 A.M.

Southern Ute Indian Reservation – On October 9, 2019, the Tribe announced the decision to close the Southern Ute Detention Center no later than December 31, 2019. Tribal Council has been committed to determining ways the Permanent Fund could operate in the most cost-effective manner.

Since that decision was made, Tribal Council reconsidered the determining factors, including new solutions to offset operational expenses. The Southern Ute Detention Center will remain open pending additional review.

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20191231 – Tribal Council Evaluating Status of Southern Ute Detention Center