Juneau, AK
(June 26, 2019) – Central Council of Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska (Tlingit & Haida) is pleased to announce the promotion of Talia Eames to Reentry & Recovery Manager.
Talia has held a desire to effect social and community change and returned home to Southeast Alaska after serving 10 years in the United States Air Force (2003-2013). She was hired by Tlingit & Haida in 2015 as an educational counselor and later promoted to a coordinator under the Second Chance Reentry program, a three-year grant funded program that provided individuals, while still incarcerated and/or released on probation, with distance training and employment assistance.
“Right now our communities and people are facing struggles and barriers that unfortunately have led to drugs, alcohol, and in some cases incarceration,” shared President Richard (Chalyee Éesh) Peterson. “It is the Tribe's responsibility to engage, be a part of the solution, and provide resources and opportunities to our citizens that help them find their path to a healthy and successful life. This isn’t a hand out, it’s a hand up. Talia is just the right person to offer that assistance with her compassion, empathy and ability to help our people find their strength through accountability and responsibility.”
In her new role, Talia is responsible for developing and managing the Reentry & Recovery department, creating community and tribal resources for justice-involved individuals, maintaining system accountability of all reentry and recovery programming and overseeing the Tribe’s reentry transitional housing program, Yak’éiyi Kustí Yinaadei Hít, which will provide sober and supportive housing to men released from incarceration and transitioning back into the community. The newly formed Reentry & Recovery department will work closely with the Tribal Court and other partners to ensure cohesion in program development and restorative justice practices.
“The fact that the Tribe has created this new department really shows how dedicated we are to impacting the disproportionate representation of Alaska Natives needing reentry and recovery support,” said Talia. “I am honored that I have been appointed to develop and manage the resources needed to create foundational changes in our region, and I look forward to continuing this work with our amazing tribal and community partners.”
Talia currently serves as a board member for Haven House, a recovery and reentry program that provides safe, stable, sober and structured housing to women coming home after incarceration and is a member of the Juneau Reentry Coalition steering team where she works to address the specific needs of recently released Alaska Natives and promote culturally-relevant community reentry services in an effort to reduce recidivism.
Talia holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Science from Chapman University College and will be pursuing her Master of Arts in Restorative Justice this fall. She is Tlingit/Eagle, Kaagwaantaan from the
G
ooch H
í
t (Wolf House).
Her Tlingit name is Ghaayéitli.
