Boulder County Appoints Native American-American Indian Relations Manager. Karen Wilde is Boulder County’s first Native American-American Indian Relations Manager. The Boulder County Commissioners have proclaimed November as Native American Heritage Month in Boulder County. Language evolves with us as we lean into our journey of identity, and Boulder County acknowledges that residents of Boulder County might identify as Native American, American Indian, Indigenous, and as a citizen of their tribal nation.
Boulder County Native American Relations Manager Karen Wilde
Native Americans existed on the lands now called the United States since time immemorial and continue to thrive today. Although November highlights Native Americans, Native Americans recognize every day as their heritage, and their traditions continue every day. In November, we urge residents to honor the culture and achievements of Native Americans, Alaska Natives, and all Indigenous cultures.
Boulder County and the State of Colorado have been the original homelands of many different tribes including the Northern Arapaho of Wyoming, the Northern Cheyenne of Montana, the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma, the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, the Kiowa Tribe, the Comanche, the Apache, and the Eastern Shoshone.
Karen Wilde has joined Boulder County’s Office of the County Administrator as the county’s first Native American-American Indian Relations Manager. Karen’s appointment to this full-time, permanent position is a crucial step in Boulder County’s journey to move from land acknowledgement to meaningful action in the county’s work with American Indian, Native American, Native Alaskan and Native Hawai’ian peoples.
“We are delighted to welcome Karen Wilde as Boulder County’s first Native American-American Indian Relations Manager,” said Commissioner Marta Loachamin. “Karen brings years of valuable experience to this role that will help Boulder County move forward with meaningful work with tribes whose original homelands were in Boulder County. Thank you to all of the Boulder County staff, community members, and folks from around our region who helped support this recruitment process.”
“Taking on this new assignment with Boulder County allows me the opportunity to continue my life’s work in collaboration with tribal nations, peoples, and governmental colleagues who are committed to progress,” said Karen.
Karen’s career includes years of experience in Native American/American Indian relations, including a position as Tribal Liaison for the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site as part of the National Park Service (NPS) and then Tribal Relations Specialist for the US Forest Service at Mark Twain National Forest. Her NPS work included participation in the Intermountain Region writing team for the draft management guidance on Sacred Sites and coordination with park management on actively engaging with the Tribes of the Cheyenne and Arapaho, both Northern and Southern.
She was Co-Chair of the service-wide American Indian volunteer employee group, Council for Indigenous Relevancy, Communication, Leadership and Excellence (CIRCLE), and is a lifetime member of Society of American Indian Government Employees (SAIGE). Her community involvement includes several gubernatorial appointments in Colorado. Karen is a first-generation college graduate, holds a paralegal certificate, and achieved a Master of Jurisprudence in Indian Law (MJIL). She is a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and a proud citizen of the Muscogee Nation of Oklahoma.