BLYN — W. Ron Allen, chairman of the Jamestown S”Klallam tribe, will receive the $25,000 Buffett Award for Indigenous Leadership.
Allen, 57, will be honored for his work in the fields of tribal sovereignty, treaty rights, and local and government responsibilities.
He will receive the award Nov. 30 in Portland, Ore.
Allen has been chairman of the Jamestown S’Klallam tribe since 1977 and the tribe’s executive director since 1982.
“Nation building, exemplified by leaders like Chairman Ron Allen, is crucial for indigenous peoples,” said Spencer B. Beebe, president of Ecotrust, the Oregon-based nonprofit group that sponsors the Buffett Award.
The prize is named for brothers Howard and Peter Buffett, sons of multi-billionaire Warren Buffett. They will endow the award with $500,000 over the next four years.
Howard Buffett is a wildlife photographer and businessman. Peter Buffett is a musician.
Buffett Award nominees include First Nation, Alaska Native and Native American tribal members older than 35 years who exhibit leadership within the “Salmon Nation” region from Alaska to Northern California.