The team at the American Indian College Fund is saddened to learn that Ernie Stevens, Jr. (Oneida Nation), the longtime Chairman of the Indian Gaming Association, has walked on. He was 66 years old.
A lifelong supporter of tribal college education, Chairman Stevens was described as a fighter both literally and figuratively: from his early days as a boxer to his lifelong role as a protector of Indigenous sovereign Nations in his role of over 20 years. As the chairman of the Indian Gaming Association he defended the rights of Indigenous sovereign Nations, built economic power through Indian gaming, and created pathways for future thriving generations of Indigenous people.
Chairman Stevens’s leadership transformed Indian Country and is a reminder of how sovereignty lies at the foundation of future generations of Indigenous people. Most recently he spoke at the College of Menominee Nation commencement address, where he told students in the class of 2025, “Your success today fills my heart with encouragement. I am inspired to stand before you because you strengthen me, you strengthen us, and you strengthen Indian Country overall.”
The American Indian College Fund sends its condolences to Chairman Stevens’s wife, Cheryl; his children, Brandon, Ernest III, Margaret, Maria, and Lois; his 20 grandchildren; his mother, Marge, the Oneida Nation, and his many other relations.
