Secretary of the Fort Hall Business Council

Phone: (208)478-3812

Bannock Creek District Representative
Claudia J. Washakie was elected to the Fort Hall Business Council in May 2022. This is her first term and she is currently the Secretary for the Fort Hall Business Council.

Ms. Washakie was the previous Early Intervention Manager for the Early Childhood Program for the past six years. Prior to that she was the Tribal Youth Education Program Coordinator for seven years, a Higher Education Case Manager for four years and an Intake Records Technician for seven years; she credits her career in the education field as the focal point of her expertise and thanks the 477 Program for giving her the opportunity to faithfully provide a service to the membership for 18 years under the 477 Program.

Ms. Washakie graduated high school in 1989 from Wyoming Indian High School in Ethete, Wyoming and continued her education at Eastern Montana College (now Montana State University-Billings). She completed her Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology at Idaho State University in 2006.

In her spare time, Claudia enjoys sharing time with family and friends, taking trips to Wyoming, fishing, picking chokecherries, sewing and beading.

She has one beautiful daughter, Johnese, and one grandson, Dallas.  Although she is the Baha (aunt) to many nieces and nephews and Cagoo/Hootsie (grandmother) to many grandchildren that she has helped raise and they all have a special place in her heart.  She is the daughter of Mary E. Dixey Washakie, of Gibson, Idaho and the late Romer Dewi Washakie of Fort Washakie, Wyoming.  Claudia’s mother, Mary, served numerous years on the Fort Hall Business Council. Ms. Washakie is proud of her lineage, as her great-grandfather is the late R.W. Dixey, who played an instrumental role in establishing the government of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes and was one of the first cattleman and ranchers on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation. She is also the great-great granddaughter of Chief Washakie, of the Eastern Shoshone Band.

Claudia believes that providing a service to the membership is in her blood; and she is reminded of words her mother used to always say, “When you put yourself in that position to serve your people, you are there to serve all and provide a means for the membership to flourish; you can either create prosperity or poverty and sometimes there’s a thin line between the two, so always pray and let the Creator guide your decisions.” She is thankful for the opportunity to serve the membership in this capacity.