BOARD: Loretta Hoots

Loretta is a member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of The Flathead Reservation, Montana.

She has 35+ years of experience employed with CSKT. Loretta started out at The Salish & Kootenai Housing Authority as a receptionist, working her way up in 12 years to end her career there as the Development Manager. The last project she saw through was a 20-unit homeownership project that was scattered throughout the Reservation to tribal members. That project was over $10 million dollars once completed from start to finish.

Loretta spent 13 years on Kootenai National Forest as the Tribal Liaison, still employed by CSKT. In the 13 years she was on KNF, she took it upon herself to educate Forest Service Employee’s as well as school age children in the Libby and Eureka school districts on Kootenai People. Her job consisted of working with all the Forest Service staff, most specifically with the Archaeologists and the Forest Archaeologists on cultural site identification, preservation and protection. Kootenai National Forest is Aboriginal Territory to the Kootenai people.

Loretta was off the Reservation for approximately 20 years. Upon returning in 2019 she was hired with the Natural Resources Department Safety of Dams program as the National Monitoring Center Manager where she is today.

Loretta’s passion are the health and welfare of her fellow tribal members, including her family. Always looking for a way to lift them up so they have stable environments. When she accidently was introduced to Ben at FOTC, she fell in love with the entire concept and wanted it for the Reservation more than anything for very selfish reasons. The need is definitely here, as at the time, she was raising her great grandson through the CPS process, and saw many others in the same situation. FOTC was an avenue that was worth exploring.

After Loretta returned to the Reservation to take care of her parents, she unfortunately lost both of them. First her dad in 2019, and then her mom in 2022. She’s an only child of her parents. She has 2 grown children of her own, a step-son, 8 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren.

She serves on the Kootenai Elders Advisory, Lake County Planning Board, SIR (Sober Indian Riders) and the Standing Arrow Celebration Committee. Her hobbies include riding her Trike that was her dads, buying houseplants and spending quality time with her grandchildren and great grandchildren when she can, and making jewelry. Summertime you will find her on aboriginal territory picking huckleberries and at pow-wows.