Waabigekek-David Fleming, Sr. began his new role on August 28, 2026, and is excited to begin this new chapter in his career. He would like to share some of his professional background and experience:

Boozhoo! I am honored to have been selected as the first Director of Economic Development for Lac Courte Oreilles. I am a Tribal member and grew up in the communities of Six Mile and New Post, where I still live today.

Most recently, I worked as the Tribal Liaison for the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, the state’s economic development agency. In that role, I was responsible for improving state-Tribal relations with all eleven of Wisconsin’s Tribes and overseeing the annual State/Tribal consultation process — which meant understanding Tribal economic development priorities across the state and helping drive investment in our Tribal nations.

Before that, I was a Business Instructor at LCO Ojibwe University, where I led the development of our Bachelor’s in Business program and had some exciting opportunities to develop classes like “Economies of Reservations” and Tribal Business Management.

My career has centered on Native Community Development Finance Institutions (Native CDFIs), Tribal small business management, and Native investments. I’ve had the privilege of working with all the Tribal Business Development Corporations (BDCs) in the state, and I was thrilled to hear that LCO was preparing to launch our own BDC, Odaawaa Zaaga’igan Anishinaabe (OZA).

I’m very grateful for our Tribal Governing Board’s support and vision in taking this critical step in effective economic development, and I look forward to increasing investment in LCO Tribal member-owned businesses, Tribal enterprises, and new business ventures.