Strategy Elevation Alliance
Executive Preview · Pre-Operational Readiness · April 28, 2026

Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians Economic Development Council

Regional Economic Development Multiplier · Pacific Northwest · ATNI Member-Tribe Network
Built for Michelle Gladstone-Wade, Director of Economic Development, and the ATNI EDC team.
The Onliness
Strategy Elevation Alliance is the only strategic operating partnership where three enterprise practitioners run the full ILLUMINATE → FOCUS → PERFORM arc as one continuous discipline alongside the leadership team driving the enterprise. The same practitioners read the conditions, shape the priorities with leadership, and install the operating cadence inside the work. The methodology is SEA's to run. The enterprise is leadership's to operate. The operating rhythm is built together.
Climb Higher. See Further. Execute Intentionally.
Strategic Context · May 2026

The Post-Summit Regional Window

ATNI EDC just closed its 2026 Northwest Economic Development Summit at ilani Resort in Ridgefield, Washington, the convening point for Pacific Northwest tribal economic-development leadership. The next twelve months are when the conversations from that room turn into operating decisions, both inside ATNI EDC itself and across the member tribes the Council serves.

Apr 21-23
2026 Summit at ilani Resort in Ridgefield, Washington
Multi-State
Pacific Northwest Footprint
Member-Tribe
Regional Multiplier Role
WA + NW
Tribal Relations Background
What Just Happened

The convening just closed; the operating decisions follow now.

The summit is the visible event. The work that follows it, inside the EDC and across the member-tribe network, is where the operating system shapes how regional economic development actually moves.

  • April 21 to 23, 2026. ATNI EDC held its annual Northwest Economic Development Summit at ilani Resort in Ridgefield, Washington, the regional convening for Pacific Northwest tribal economic development.
  • Director leadership. Michelle Gladstone-Wade leads ATNI EDC after five years at the Washington State Department of Commerce, where she founded the first Office of Tribal Relations. Northwest Indian College alumna in Tribal Governance and Business Management.
  • Multiplier position. ATNI EDC supports lending, advocacy, and regional economic development for ATNI Member Tribes, sitting at the strategic intersection of regional tribal economic development.

Why Now

Every decision made before opening is cheaper than every decision made after. Governance, leadership bench, operating cadence, guest-experience standards, member accountability structures. All of these are easier to install on a pre-operational enterprise than to retrofit on a running one.

The post-summit window, the EDC's multiplier position across ATNI Member Tribes, and the Director's tribal-relations leadership posture make the next twelve months the right window to install the operating discipline that converts summit conversations into measurable regional outcomes, both inside the EDC itself and across the member tribes the Council serves.

Why SEA, Why READY™

The READY™ diagnostic was built for exactly this profile: an enterprise in transition with a committed leadership team, a funded plan, and a defined window to act. It reads the five conditions that shape how strategy lands inside an operating enterprise: Reason for Change, Executive Sponsorship, Alignment, Decision Authority, and Yield.

SEA's three partners have personally carried tribal and hospitality enterprises through pre-operational and operating-discipline transitions at Chumash, Choctaw Nation, and Pinnacle. The ATNI EDC profile, with its regional multiplier role and operating layer running across multiple sovereign nations, is the profile READY was designed for, both for the EDC itself and for member-tribe engagements the Director may convene.

Sources: ATNI EDC public communications · 2026 Northwest Economic Development Summit materials · Washington State Department of Commerce releases · Tribal Business News. All figures sourced from public record as of May 2, 2026. Any figure cited in a subsequent engagement proposal will be confirmed directly with the EDC.
The Partnership

Three Practitioners. One Accountability.

SEA is not a firm that deploys associates. The three partners below own the work end to end, together. What you see below is what shows up in the room.

John Elliott
Principal, Strategy Elevation Alliance · Economic Development · Transformation Leader · Executive Coach
Innovative Venturer · Analytical Machine · Entrepreneurial Builder · Inspiring Storyteller · Future-Oriented
35+ years leading organizations through transformation as CEO, COO, CFO, and consulting practice leader. Career spans Big 5 consulting across Asia, Native American Tribal economic development, and corporate leadership in manufacturing, defense, and utilities. Known for navigating complex, regulated environments and delivering measurable growth. Established strategic partnerships and completed $1B of economic development transactions alongside Native Nations.
Core Expertise
  • Organizational Transformation & Strategy Execution
  • Leadership Development & Executive Coaching
  • Mergers & Acquisitions Integration & Growth
  • Economic Development Initiatives
  • Operations, Supply Chain & Outsourcing
  • Shared Services & Enterprise Performance Systems
  • Change Management & Cultural Transformation
elliottjohn32@gmail.com 508.272.4710
Teri Hill
Principal, Strategy Elevation Alliance · Strategic Advisor · Journey Architect · Executive Coach
Strategic Persuader · Vision Translator · People Optimizer · Alignment Builder · Outcome-Focused
Trusted business advisor with 35+ years helping executives grow and transform. Former Accenture Managing Director brings enterprise-grade expertise typically reserved for Fortune 500 companies to small and mid-sized organizations. Architected Chumash Enterprises' shift from functional silos to self-directed teams. Grew Accenture practice team 5x and Fortune client base across healthcare and energy. Predictive Index® Consultant, The Leadership Challenge® Advanced Facilitator, and licensed Line-of-Sight℠ practitioner.
Core Expertise
  • Enterprise Transformation & Strategy Execution
  • Leadership Development & Executive Coaching
  • M&A: Integration, Growth, Divestiture
  • Organizational Design & Operating Models
  • Talent Optimization & Behavioral Analytics
  • Strategic Planning & Expert Facilitation
  • Change Management & Cultural Transformation
trhill@hill-summit.com 602.831.0051
Tommy Rhoads
Principal, Strategy Elevation Alliance · Transformation Leader · Master Black Belt · Performance Integrator
Natural Persuader · Energetic Innovator · Change Catalyst · Visionary Trailblazer · Equality-Focused
Proven leader in hospitality, tribal enterprises, and corporate transformation. Built enterprise-wide transformation roadmap at Chumash Enterprises delivering $3M+ recurring value. Transformed customer and employee experience at Choctaw Nation: CSAT +39.5%, ESAT +31 points; launched Hoshin Kanri strategy system. Progressive leadership at Pinnacle Entertainment from F&B to Regional Ops with multiple Leader of the Year awards. Prosci® Certified Change Practitioner.
Core Expertise
  • Enterprise Transformation (people, process, digital, cultural)
  • Organizational Change & Leadership Activation
  • Hoshin Kanri & Strategy Deployment
  • Customer & Team Experience Strategy
  • Tribal Gaming & Hospitality Performance
  • Operational Excellence (Lean Six Sigma® Master Black Belt)
  • M&A Value Realization
tommy.rhoads@rtienterprises.com 469.475.4277
Next Step

A Thirty-Minute Conversation About the Next Twelve Months.

No slide deck. No pitch. A direct working conversation about your twelve-month priorities, the operating system the tribe needs to lock them down, and whether a partnership with SEA belongs in that room.

Email the Partners to Set Up a Conversation Email John Elliott Directly