Blog
IE Staff Out and About: Reservation Economic Summit
The Office of Indian Energy networked with more than 4,800 participants representing Tribal leaders, Tribal business leaders, and more at the key economic development event in Indian Country.
Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs
April 13, 2026
min
minute read time
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs (IE) staff and leadership attended the 2026 Reservation Economic Summit (RES) in Las Vegas, Nevada from March 23–26, 2026. They networked with more than 4,800 participants representing Tribal leaders and staff, top Tribal business leaders, and more at the key economic development event in Indian Country.
RES is hosted by the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development (NCAIED), a nonprofit organization whose mission is to assist Native American Tribes and their enterprises with business and economic development.
Click on the thumbnail images below to view the full photo gallery from the event.
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The DOE booth on the trade show floor had a steady flow of traffic with more than 500 event attendees stopping by. The experts from Indian Energy staffing the booth were accompanied by experts from the Office of Energy Dominance Financing (EDF), the Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office (HGEO), and the Office of Nuclear Energy’s Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN).
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IE Director Mahroum and Chris James, President and Chief Executive Officer of NCAIED.
RES offered many different activities including workshops; breakout and plenary sessions; more than 100 training, academic bootcamp, and business development sessions; and more than 200 trade show booths.
Caption
On March 25, IE Director Eric Mahroum participated in a fireside chat with Derrick Watchman, NCAIED Chairman of the Board, where he announced the first DOE funding opportunity exclusively for Tribes under President Trump’s second administration: an investment of $50 million to unleash Tribal energy development and bring affordable, reliable, and secure energy to Tribes. This is the first time in the Office’s 20-year history that funding is available for an expansive set of technologies, including planning activities for large-scale projects.
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Data Center panelists Kip Ritchie, Chief Executive Officer of Potawatomi Ventures; Ken Ahmann, Chief Operating Officer of Colusa Indian Energy; Todd Malan, Executive Vice President at QTS Data Centers; and Elisah VandenBussche, IE Permitting & Tribal Affairs Specialist. On March 24, IE Permitting & Tribal Affairs Specialist Elisah VandenBussche moderated a panel focused on data center development and how it intersects with Tribal sovereignty. Topics included: Major trends in data center development and how those may intersect with Tribal economic interests; practical steps Tribes can take to leverage this intersection in the artificial intelligence revolution; the range of wealth-creation avenues associated with the data center economy; and what Tribes need to determine if data centers and associated energy projects are aligned with their development goals.
Caption
IE Director Mahroum and members of the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma, including Chairman Bobby Gonzalez. Developing public and private partnerships is a critical priority for IE. Under IE Director Mahroum’s leadership, the IE team is working to unlock significant American energy across Indian Country by fostering new partnership opportunities between Tribes and industry.
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DOE staff, from left to right: IE Strategic Initiatives Manager and Acting External Affairs Manager Katrina Pielli; DOE GAIN Community and Tribal Engagement Manager Emily Nichols; DOE HGEO Program Manager, Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation Emily Brooks; IE Permitting and Tribal Affairs Specialist Elisah VandenBussche; IE Tribal Energy Navigator Sandy Pagan; IE Tribal Affairs Specialist Dr. Tommy Jones; DOE EDF Senior Consultants Paul Dearhouse and Sebastian Jono.
Caption
The DOE booth on the trade show floor had a steady flow of traffic with more than 500 event attendees stopping by. The experts from Indian Energy staffing the booth were accompanied by experts from the Office of Energy Dominance Financing (EDF), the Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office (HGEO), and the Office of Nuclear Energy’s Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN).
The DOE booth on the trade show floor had a steady flow of traffic with more than 500 event attendees stopping by. The experts from Indian Energy staffing the booth were accompanied by experts from the Office of Energy Dominance Financing (EDF), the Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office (HGEO), and the Office of Nuclear Energy’s Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN).
Caption
IE Director Mahroum and Chris James, President and Chief Executive Officer of NCAIED.
RES offered many different activities including workshops; breakout and plenary sessions; more than 100 training, academic bootcamp, and business development sessions; and more than 200 trade show booths.
IE Director Mahroum and Chris James, President and Chief Executive Officer of NCAIED.
RES offered many different activities including workshops; breakout and plenary sessions; more than 100 training, academic bootcamp, and business development sessions; and more than 200 trade show booths.
Caption
On March 25, IE Director Eric Mahroum participated in a fireside chat with Derrick Watchman, NCAIED Chairman of the Board, where he announced the first DOE funding opportunity exclusively for Tribes under President Trump’s second administration: an investment of $50 million to unleash Tribal energy development and bring affordable, reliable, and secure energy to Tribes. This is the first time in the Office’s 20-year history that funding is available for an expansive set of technologies, including planning activities for large-scale projects.
On March 25, IE Director Eric Mahroum participated in a fireside chat with Derrick Watchman, NCAIED Chairman of the Board, where he announced the first DOE funding opportunity exclusively for Tribes under President Trump’s second administration: an investment of $50 million to unleash Tribal energy development and bring affordable, reliable, and secure energy to Tribes. This is the first time in the Office’s 20-year history that funding is available for an expansive set of technologies, including planning activities for large-scale projects.
Caption
Data Center panelists Kip Ritchie, Chief Executive Officer of Potawatomi Ventures; Ken Ahmann, Chief Operating Officer of Colusa Indian Energy; Todd Malan, Executive Vice President at QTS Data Centers; and Elisah VandenBussche, IE Permitting & Tribal Affairs Specialist. On March 24, IE Permitting & Tribal Affairs Specialist Elisah VandenBussche moderated a panel focused on data center development and how it intersects with Tribal sovereignty. Topics included: Major trends in data center development and how those may intersect with Tribal economic interests; practical steps Tribes can take to leverage this intersection in the artificial intelligence revolution; the range of wealth-creation avenues associated with the data center economy; and what Tribes need to determine if data centers and associated energy projects are aligned with their development goals.
Data Center panelists Kip Ritchie, Chief Executive Officer of Potawatomi Ventures; Ken Ahmann, Chief Operating Officer of Colusa Indian Energy; Todd Malan, Executive Vice President at QTS Data Centers; and Elisah VandenBussche, IE Permitting & Tribal Affairs Specialist. On March 24, IE Permitting & Tribal Affairs Specialist Elisah VandenBussche moderated a panel focused on data center development and how it intersects with Tribal sovereignty. Topics included: Major trends in data center development and how those may intersect with Tribal economic interests; practical steps Tribes can take to leverage this intersection in the artificial intelligence revolution; the range of wealth-creation avenues associated with the data center economy; and what Tribes need to determine if data centers and associated energy projects are aligned with their development goals.
Caption
IE Director Mahroum and members of the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma, including Chairman Bobby Gonzalez. Developing public and private partnerships is a critical priority for IE. Under IE Director Mahroum’s leadership, the IE team is working to unlock significant American energy across Indian Country by fostering new partnership opportunities between Tribes and industry.
IE Director Mahroum and members of the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma, including Chairman Bobby Gonzalez. Developing public and private partnerships is a critical priority for IE. Under IE Director Mahroum’s leadership, the IE team is working to unlock significant American energy across Indian Country by fostering new partnership opportunities between Tribes and industry.
Caption
DOE staff, from left to right: IE Strategic Initiatives Manager and Acting External Affairs Manager Katrina Pielli; DOE GAIN Community and Tribal Engagement Manager Emily Nichols; DOE HGEO Program Manager, Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation Emily Brooks; IE Permitting and Tribal Affairs Specialist Elisah VandenBussche; IE Tribal Energy Navigator Sandy Pagan; IE Tribal Affairs Specialist Dr. Tommy Jones; DOE EDF Senior Consultants Paul Dearhouse and Sebastian Jono.
DOE staff, from left to right: IE Strategic Initiatives Manager and Acting External Affairs Manager Katrina Pielli; DOE GAIN Community and Tribal Engagement Manager Emily Nichols; DOE HGEO Program Manager, Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation Emily Brooks; IE Permitting and Tribal Affairs Specialist Elisah VandenBussche; IE Tribal Energy Navigator Sandy Pagan; IE Tribal Affairs Specialist Dr. Tommy Jones; DOE EDF Senior Consultants Paul Dearhouse and Sebastian Jono.
