My Xwlemi (Lummi) names are Ple'la'lut'sia and E'eyMot, and my English name is Stephanie Williams. I am 42 years old and have three children, Shoshanah Johnson (23), Marcus Williams (17), and Braxton Williams (7). I have worked hard as a single mom to show my children that we can achieve anything we set our minds to, I have been a part of the post-secondary educational system for ten plus years after I graduated high school, raised my children, and made a career in healthcare administration. As we all know, life experiences give us many challenges in life, which has molded me into the person I am today; so never give up on your hopes and dreams.

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My dad is Virgil Williams. My Grandparents are Dean Williams and Virginia Williams (James). My Great-Grandparents are George James and Irene James (Lear) from my Grandma Virginia's side, and Thomas Williams and Olive Williams (Commodore) from my Grandpa Dean's side.

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My Mom is Karen Williams (Jefferson). My Grandparents are Gabe Jefferson and Rena Ballew (Lane). My Great-Grandparents are Alfred Lane and Sadie Jones-Lane (Celestine) from my Grandma Rena's side, and David Jefferson Sr and Isabella Jefferson (Barr) from my Grandpa Gabe's side.

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I graduated from Evergreen State College in 2012 with a Masters degree in Public Administration, focus in Tribal Governance with a capstone focus is tribal constitutional reform, and went onto Bellingham Technical College where I received my certification in Billing & Coding. I also have a Bachelor’s degree from Western Washington University, with a minor in Sociology. Then attended Northwest Indian College to receive my associates degree and was honored to be Valedictorian. For high school, I attended Ferndale High School where I graduated with highest honors.

A major project I would like to focus on is Constitutional Reform. The constitution was forced upon the Tribal communities based on my research, and it does not fully represent our traditional ways and values. I want to explore how we can mold the constitution to better serve our community's needs through community discussions and home visits.  The power is in the people to help make these changes possible.

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Financial sustainability and accountability are incredibly important to me, especially with this current administration and the uncertainty of the reliance on the Federal government to fully support our Treaty Rights. This includes expanding sustainable healthcare opportunities, ensuring food sovereignty, expanding business opportunities, and identifying ways to ensure we stay accountable and protect funds we receive for healthcare services. Transparent financial reporting is crucial for accountability and should be readily available to community members.  This will help improve the relationship with the community.

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I am currently working as the Healthcare Business Office Director and have been in my position since the late 2015, over 10 plus years of administrative experience in various jobs. I dedicated my career towards working to improve our healthcare system's revenue and to ensure compliance on services provided under my supervision. Last year, the Lummi Nation Health Center generated over twenty-two ($22) million dollars and this year it is projected over $37+ million dollars, which includes medical, dental, pharmacy, physical therapy and mental health services. We all work together as a team to reach our goals and communicate where things need to improve; I am very proud of our healthcare team! Es’ti’tem’sen – We are doing the best we can!

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“Seven Generations of Health is Wealth.”

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