tom kunesh ______________________________________________________________________________ Tennessee Native American Convention - Application ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Position/s applying for: [X] Commission of Indian Affairs [X] Advisory Council on Tennessee Indian Affairs [X] Tennessee Native American Convention Board [X] Historical Commission Caucus: [X] Chattanooga Information required by TCA 4-34-104 (b) * Name: tom kunesh / thomas peter kunesh 1. Birthdate: 1956 Birthplace St Paul, Minnesota 2. Residential address: 209 Morningside Drive, Chattanooga TN 37404 423. 624.3380 tpkunesh@chattanooga.net 3. Educational background high school: Cathedral High School, St Cloud MN Did you graduate? yes, in 1974 college: Bachelor of Art, 1985 University of Minnesota, Minneapolis Spanish, minors in Foreign Studies and Religious Studies Master of Divinity, 1988 Starr King School for the Ministry, Berkeley, California Master of Art, 1990 University of Minnesota, Minneapolis Religious Studies, minor in Art History Did you graduate? yes, HS, BA, MDiv, MA (Transcripts available for verification through personal request or through the registrars at the above institutions.) other: Russian language, Defense Language Institute 1976-7 Farsi language, onsite shipboard training, Persian Gulf 1978-79 Curso de estudios hispánicos para extranjeros, Universidad Complutense de Madrid 1980-81 4. Work (employment) history: 2004-current Spanish teacher, The Montessori School, Chattanooga TN 2000-current Adjunct Faculty, Chattanooga State Technical Community College, Spanish, Native American religions 1999-2004 Adjunct Faculty, Spanish, Native American Religions University of Tennessee at Chattanooga 2003 Executive Director, Chattanooga Indigenous Resource Center & Library (CIRCL) 1999- Freelance Web Consultant 1996-99 Webmaster, Chattanooga Online 1995-96 Artistic Director/Graphic Designer, Corporate Relations Inc. 1995 Composition, Production, Typesetting & Design, Quality Shopper 1993-94 Editor and Publisher, City Beat Magazine news weekly 1991-94 Owner/Operator, Dakota DeskTop Publishing: typesetting & design 1991-93 Director of Religious Education, Campus Minister at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, Unitarian Universalist Church, Chattanooga, Tennessee 5. Tribal heritage: [X] other tribe: Hunkpapa/Sihasapa Lakota mother, enrolled member, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, Fort Yates, North Dakota 6. Description of suitability as Commissioner/Advisory Council member/TNNAC Board member/etc: I feel my purpose is to serve and protect the land that is the ground of Native American experience and being, and have done so for the past 12 years. The Commission, Advisory Council and TNNAC need members who have been instrumental in their organizations' creation to continue to advise them of their intended purpose for being, and members who are educated about local, state and national indian concerns who are willing to work with all the different groups within the statewide indian community. I have served locally and successfully in several preservationist efforts, and statewide as founding chairman of TNNAC from 2000-2004, as founding chair/co-chair of the Advisory Council from 2001-2003, and as an advisor to Commissioners from 2003 to today. I swear/affirm that this information about me is true, accurate and complete. signature & date: thomas peter kunesh 10 may 2005 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Optional information 1. Family mother, enrolled member, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, Fort Yates, North Dakota. father, deceased. wife Julie, kids: 1 boy, 2 girls, so far. large immediate and extended family in and around Minnesota and the Dakotas. sister, Patrice, Indian law professor at the University of South Dakota (2005- ), previously tribal attorney for the Mashentucket Pequot of Connecticut, and staff attorney for the Native American Rights Fund in Boulder, Colorado. 2. Military experience US Navy, enlisted, 1976-1980. CTI3 - Communications Technician - Interpretive Branch, 3rd Class Petty Officer, Russian and Farsi linguist. US Naval Communications Station, Rota, Spain 1977-80. Temporary assigned duties in the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean, 1978-79, with commendation. Honorably discharged. (DD214 available for verification through personal request or SF180 request to National Personnel Records Center, Military Personnel Records (NPRC-MPR), St Louis MO.) 3. Criminal history None. (TNNAC and all other parties have my authorization to perform a criminal background check on me.) 4. Indian community involvement - Joined the Chattanooga InterTribal Association in 1993, served as CITA Public Relations Committee chairman. - Helped save Moccasin Bend from development by obtaining federal status for the land (accomplished 2003). Have physically visited and cared for the land since 1993. - Helped advocate for the change of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga's mascot, "Chief Moccanooga" (accomplished 1996). - Created the first Tennessee Indian Affairs email discussion list, tn-ind@tnind.net (1998). - Helped save Little Cedar Mountain from development by organizing opposition to development plans (accomplished 1999; new preservationist efforts 2004-). - Have physically visited and cared for the land since 1996. Initiated the TNCIA Reform Proposal in 2000, co-founder of TNNAC and the Advisory Council, major contributor to existing TNCIA legislation (accomplished 2003 with the re-creation of the reformed Tennessee Commission of Indian Affairs). - Created and hosted the initial websites for several Indian organizations, including tncia.org, actia.org and tnnac.org for the TNCIA, ACTIA and TNNAC organizations respectively. I swear/affirm that this information about me is true and accurate. signature & date: thomas peter kunesh 10 may 2005 ______________________________________________________________________________