Press Announcement Gallery A Press Announcement Gallery B Press Photographs of Colorado Governor Bill Ritter, Joe Garcia, President of NCAI and tribal officials welcoming the upcoming convention on the steps of the Colorado State Capitol. Founded in 1944, the Washington, D.C., group is the oldest and largest Native American organization in the country. It has 250 member tribes. The National Congress of American Indians which works to ensure the rights of native people, including preserving Indian treaties with the U.S. government and helping the general public better understand Indian people and issues. Education, health care, affordable housing and natural resource management, as they relate to Native Americans, also are priorities for the group. The convention was held at the new, 1,100-room Hyatt Regency Denver hotel in downtown Denver. The event's agenda includes an NCAI executive board meeting, seven general assemblies, elections, committee meetings, and luncheons honoring Indian youth and elders. Convention sponsors include Colorado's Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute tribes, Walt Disney Parks & Resorts LLC, Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Merrill Lynch & Co., KeyBank, United Healthcare and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Co-chairs of the Colorado Planning Committee for the convention Ernest House Jr., executive secretary of the Colorado Commission of Indian Affairs and Ben Sherman president of Denver's Western American Indian Chamber, additional committee members Ute Mountain Ute Chairman Manuel Heart, Southern Ute Vice Chairman Matthew Box. Office of Governor Bill Ritter       CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO THE MAIN NCAI CONVENTION PAGE       RETURN TO THE NATIVE AMERICAN GALLERIES HOME PAGE       RETURN TO THE MAIN GALLERY HOME PAGE