NAFOA Honors 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award Recipients at Fall Conference

PORTLAND, OR— The NAFOA Lifetime Achievement Awards represent the highest honor bestowed by the organization. The NAFOA Board of Directors recognizes Native American leaders who have dedicated their careers to strengthening their communities and advancing Indian Country. This year, the honorees are Bernadine Burnette, former president of the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, and Sam McCracken (Fort Peck Assiniboine & Sioux Tribes), founder of Nike N7.

Bernadine Burnette, Former President of the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation

Pictured (left to right): Chairman Rodney Butler, NAFOA President (Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation); honoree Bernadine Burnette; VaRene Martin, NAFOA 1st Vice President; and Abraham Lincoln, Councilperson for the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma, who presented Burnette with an Eagle Feather.

“I will continue to support our Tribal sovereignty, self-reliance, and community health for as long as the Creator allows me to be here.” 

Bernadine Burnette, a member and former President of Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, has dedicated over 30 years to guiding her community toward greater sovereignty and prosperity. Her journey in public service started in 1990 when she was elected as Tribal Secretary. She then served as Vice President and then President of the Tribe, guiding her nation through major economic growth and making crucial revisions to their constitution. Many of her accomplishments include opening the new We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort and improving much-needed services and programs for Tribal Members. She has been instrumental in advancing the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation’s government-to-government relationships across Tribal, County, State, and Federal levels.

Burnette also held influential roles in regional and national organizations such as the Arizona Indian Gaming Association and the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona. She has served on numerous boards, including the National Congress of American Indians, National Tribal Environmental Council, National Indian Education Association, and the Maricopa Association Regional Council in Maricopa County, Arizona. More recently, Burnette was elected President of the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona in June 2019, working to strengthen Tribal self-reliance through policy. 

Widely honored for her advocacy, Burnette’s legacy includes improved infrastructure and essential services for her people. Under her leadership, the reservation’s population benefited from enhanced housing, water, and wastewater systems, public safety projects, and paved infrastructure. 

For her dedicated leadership, NAFOA is proud to present the 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award to former President Bernadine Burnette.

Sam McCracken (Fort Peck Assiniboine & Sioux Tribes), Founder of Nike N7

Pictured (left to right): Chairman Rodney Butler, NAFOA President (Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation); honoree Sam McCracken; and Abraham Lincoln, Councilperson for the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma, who presented McCracken with an Eagle Feather.

“I have the utmost confidence that the foundation that was built over the last 28 years will carry forward with this generation of Indigenous leaders in corporate America.”

Sam McCracken is a member of the Sioux and Assiniboine Tribes on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in northeastern Montana. He notably served as the General Manager and visionary founder of Nike’s N7 programs and the N7 Fund. 

Beginning his career at Nike in 1997 as a forklift operator, McCracken quickly distinguished himself through his work ethic, leadership, and commitment to community. Recognizing the need for culturally relevant health and wellness initiatives, he revitalized Nike’s Native American Employee Network and proposed a transformative business strategy focused on increasing the well-being in Native communities. In 2000, he became Manager of Nike’s Native American Business, where he led the creation of the Nike Air Native N7 shoe, the N7 retail collection, and the N7 Fund—initiatives that support access to sport, education innovation, economic empowerment, and social justice across the U.S. and Canada. 

Under his leadership, Nike launched more than 25 N7 product collections and brand campaigns, each one rooted in Indigenous culture and storytelling. These campaigns helped generate over $14 million in revenue, which has been reinvested into Native communities through the N7 Fund.

In addition, McCracken was instrumental in establishing the Memoranda of Understanding with the Indian Health Services and the Bureau of Indian Education, helping integrate sport and wellness programming into schools, clinics, and community programs on reservations and in urban Native communities.

NAFOA proudly recognizes Sam McCracken with the 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding contributions to Indian Country. 

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About NAFOA

NAFOA was founded over 40 years ago as the Native American Finance Officers Association to highlight the role of Tribal finance in fostering economic opportunities. Over the last four decades, NAFOA has grown along with Tribes to be advocates of sound economic and fiscal policy and developers of innovative training programs in financial management to build the skills of the next generation. Semiannually, NAFOA convenes Tribal leadership, experienced professionals, and economic partners to meet the challenges of economic growth and change. To learn more about NAFOA, visit the website www.nafoa.org.