State Labor Department Receives National Honors

Pictured, from left: Cami Feek, NASWA board chair and commissioner from the Washington State Employment Security Division; Donnie Wetzel, Montana DLI tribal liaison; Alicia Doney, DLI tribal youth and young adult coordinator; Sarah Swanson, Montana DLI commissioner. Photo courtesy of DLI.

The state labor department's Office of Tribal Liaison earned national honors this week for its Hope and Realization Initiative.

The initiative set out to establish new relationships with tribal employment offices, prioritize workforce needs that are specific to reservation communities and raise examples like Chance Main, who established himself as a local contractor on the Fort Belknap Reservation rather than taking a traditional college route.

"I liked to be outside and I liked to work," Main said in a video produced by the Montana Department of Labor and Industry. "There was a few people that doubted me. I doubted myself at first, but it goes away with time. … If you want it to succeed, you have to make it succeed. It's all on your shoulders."

Pictured, from left: Cami Feek, NASWA board chair and commissioner from the Washington State Employment Security Division; Donnie Wetzel, Montana DLI tribal liaison; Alicia Doney, DLI tribal youth and young adult coordinator; Sarah Swanson, Montana DLI commissioner. Photo courtesy of DLI.

Donnie Wetzel, the tribal liaison at the state labor department, said in an interview on Friday the initiative has empowered Native youth to find good jobs at home. The program has engaged more than 550 job seekers since it started in December 2024."It's about each person's journey to find success in whatever they choose," he said. "What we're emphasizing is the pursuit of purpose, to provide and protect and life yourself up and that spreads to your family, your community and your tribe, eventually."

The Hope and Realization Initiative this week was given the William J. Harris Equal Opportunity Award at the 2026 National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA) Winter Policy Forum in National Harbor, Maryland.

The award from the association's equal opportunity committee recognizes innovation and excellence.

In the initiative, Wetzel's office engaged with each tribal government's Tribal Employment Rights Ordinance (TERO), the local employment office. Teams held roundtables to determine which programs would be most helpful depending on the area's needs. Many chose to focus on CDL trucking programs or CNA certification options, along with apprenticeships in various trades like plumbers, electricians and heating, ventilation and air conditioning specialists.

"We have a workforce that's aging out," Wetzel said. "So how do we develop that next generation workforce?"

Wetzel brought on Alicia Doney to run the Workforce Warrior project, as a part of the initiative, which produced videos of different workers who have excelled in their fields to increase visibility of the opportunities the initiative can bolster through its programming.

"I've dealt in education and mental health issues, and someone who serves that purpose lives a longer, healthier life," Wetzel, a member of the Blackfeet Nation, noted. "So we want to find examples for others to look up to."

"Our tribal nations are sovereign, they run their own governments," he added. "What I find on the national level is a lot of people overlook that. Many of the programs hardly ever talk about the tribes or work with them. So I think we're trail blazing with this initiative."

NASWA President and CEO Scott Sanders said in a press release this week the Hope and Realization Initiative is a powerful example of what "community-centered workforce innovation looks like."

He said Montana had created a model that "opens doors, strengthens trust and expands opportunity for tribal communities statewide."

Montana DLI Commissioner Sarah Swanson in the same press release trumpeted the work by Wetzel's team.

"Their leadership is not only expanding employment and training opportunities for tribal citizens across Montana, but also helping set the standard for how states honor tribal partnerships, remove barriers to work and ensure every person has a pathway to a career and a plan to achieve it," Swanson said.

Wetzel said, after setting priorities with each tribe, job expos are on deck for each reservation in Montana. Interests include law enforcement, health care and trucking certifications, particularly for rural communities.

"I have to also thank the tribes," he concluded. "We wouldn't have anything if those TERO directors didn't help. They've been absolutely fantastic and our tribal leaders have been so gracious in helping along the way."