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Reinvesting in community: Valandra networks for change on reservations
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There is no typical day for Maria Valandra, and that’s how she likes it.
Valandra enjoys a sweeping view of downtown Billings from her 18th floor office in the First Interstate Bank building. But she sees the payoff from her work as it plays out on the Indian reservations of Montana and Wyoming.
By LINDA HALSTEAD-ACHARYA
Of The Gazette Staff
Valandra is a member of the Nekaneet Band of the Cree Nation of Saskatchewan and vice president of community development for First Interstate BancSystem. As such, she strives to improve economic opportunities and promote affordable housing for American Indians living on the reservation. With First Interstate Banks located either on or near four Indian reservations, Valandra has her hands full.
"The way I see it, it’s really working at the grass-roots level with affordable housing and helping to build communities. A lot of what I do is external (to the bank)," she said. "My goal is, if they build homes and establish better economies, that will affect the bank positively."
Valandra’s job has a two-pronged approach. Besides community development, she is also involved in making sure the bank reinvests in the community. That’s a requirement of the 1977 Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), she explains.
"When a bank opens up in a community, CRA requires the bank to meet the credit needs of the entire community," she said. "And that includes low- and moderate-income people and areas. I oversee that for the company."
She keeps track of where the bank is making loans, what services it provides, how its money is invested and to which organizations it donates.
Valandra’s path to First Interstate began in her hometown of Great Falls where she graduated from high school – the first in her family to do so. She then worked for the Great Falls School District’s Indian Education Department. It wasn’t long before she realized she needed more education to achieve her goals. Along the way, there were mentors who inspired her.
"I looked at others and felt I could do what they could do," she said.
As a young mother, she enrolled at the College of Great Falls, majoring in education. When she transferred to Montana State University, she switched to business, specializing in human resources. In 1994, she was hired by First Bank of Billings, now U.S. Bank, in the human resources department. She worked there for five years, before landing her current position at First Interstate.
"It’s a great job," she said.
While her days vary, the majority of her work involves American Indians. Knowing the culture from the inside has proven invaluable for her.
"I was always very proud of my heritage," said Valandra, who has participated in Sundance ceremonies and socialized at powwows.
More recently, her job has focused on affordable housing on the reservations. Valandra knows firsthand what it’s like to live in government housing on a reservation. As a child, she spent time with her relatives on the Nekaneet Reserve in Canada just north of Havre.
"It’s something tangible you can see, a family getting into a house," she said. "Housing is something that really affects children and families."
But home ownership is a new concept for many Indians who live within a system rife with barriers to home ownership.
"On reservations, there are no Realtors and no housing market, people aren’t buying and selling homes," she said. "If you think of history, the way the land structure works on the reservation, it’s been very difficult for people to build homes."
Traditionally, lending institutions have steered clear of reservations. There were no legal protections for lenders, not to mention there was no way to resolve the complicated issues associated with government trust lands, she said. That situation changed on the Crow Reservation this past spring when the tribe adopted its Finance and Protection Act. In turn, Fannie Mae, in partnership with the Crow Tribe, signed a memorandum of understanding known as the Native American Conventional Lending Initiative.
"It allows us to make a conventional loan on tribal trust lands where we didn’t have that option before. The law the tribe enacted is a tool for businesses to operate on the reservation and have a sense of security," said Valandra, who worked on a task force that helped bring about that change. "That feels like an accomplishment."
The change represents a major shift in culture for American Indians, many of whom live in government housing. One problem with government housing, she added, is that no one ever had the option of what kind of home they had.
"The government just built homes," she said. "They never had any choice about color or number of bedrooms."
But buying – or in most cases building – a home for people who have never done so is a daunting task.
"Who do you go to?" she asked. "You’re a first-time home buyer, how do you build it? How scary is that? People are hungry for buying their own homes, but there’s a lot of education that goes with that."
In the short time since the Finance and Protection Act passed on the Crow Reservation, 90 people already have taken an eight-hour home buyers’ class. The course covers everything from mortgages to maintenance.
"I think it is very important for the tribes to build their own capacity," Valandra said. "Our task force and the Montana Home Ownership Network are working to help establish home buying centers on the reservations that will have somebody local to walk individuals through the home buying process."
In order to promote such diverse programs backed by First Interstate, Valandra relies extensively on networking. Over the course of her five-plus years at the bank, she has participated on – and continues to participate on – numerous boards and task forces, from Habitat for Humanity to the Native American Development Corporations Loan Committee. In 2002, she was named Montana’s Minority Small Business Advocate of the Year.
"I formed relationships across the state, whether it’s a housing authority or a tribal college or a community development corporation," she said. "We try to put together projects that will promote affordable housing and build communities."
Meanwhile, Valandra continues to network for change with task forces and coalitions statewide.
"It’s a matter of connecting with everybody and knowing who’s doing what, so that we don’t reinvent the wheel and we don’t duplicate what’s already being done," she said. "The key is to connect and make the resources go further."
Valandra directs her passion to housing because she knows it’s a win-win situation. Not only will Indians benefit, but the bank will, too, she said.
"With home ownership comes community development and economic development, and that’s good for the bank," she said.
Working closely with the communities served by First Interstate BancSystem also allows her to tap business opportunities and make referrals.
It’s really a job of two different worlds, she said.
"I like working with the different tribes. I switch from that to making a presentation to the bank board," she said. "It’s been very rewarding, but I also have to have patience. Things tend to move slowly. But it’s gratifying to know we’re making progress, even if it’s baby steps. At least we’re making steps forward."
Editor’s note: November is American Indian Heritage Month. The Gazette will mark the occasion by dedicating the My Job features during the month to profiles of several American Indians in our community.
Copyright © The Billings Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises.
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