Dennis Welsh, Jr.
Tribal Council Member

At just 34, Dennis Welsh Jr. is the youngest member of the CRIT Tribal Council. But despite his age, Welsh said it was his extensive experience in business and his longtime community activism that helped him the most when he outpaced 16 other candidates as the leading vote-getter in the December 2007 tribal elections.

Welsh, a self-employed hay farmer who has also worked in marketing, named increasing entrepreneurship and combating methamphetamine abuse as two of his top goals as one of CRIT’s newest tribal council members.

Welsh’s other top priority in office is fiscal responsibility. And when it comes to getting a grip on CRIT’s finances, Welsh is determined to lead by example.

“Because I’m self-employed, I use my own laptop, my own phone, my own car, I buy my own gas,” Welsh said. “I haven’t spent a penny of the people’s money. There might be situations in the future when I will need to, but I’m very prudent.”

Another goal is to add “transparency” to Tribal government. Welsh, along with new council members Daphne Hill-Poolaw and Richard Armstrong, have been strong advocates of posting all Tribal Council meeting agendas and publishing monthly treasury reports. But Welsh said he wants to go further.

“I want to publish our first annual report to go over how our money is spent,” Welsh said. “We’ve never done it, but it’s one of the things I’d like to see.”

Welsh and his wife, Shelly, have four children. He was born and raised on the CRIT reservation, the oldest of four children. He was raised by his mother, Thelma Nelson, stepfather Darrell Fisher, and his grandfather Dick Nelson. As a kid, Welsh worked on melon farms during the summer, which gave him the background and experience he needed to launch his own farm.

When he was younger, Welsh was a standout student and athlete at Parker High School. When Welsh enrolled at the University of Arizona on scholarship after high school, his plan was to play football.

But during his “redshirt” year as a freshman member of the football team, one of his roommates who hailed from the East Coast encouraged Welsh to try out for the UA's club rugby team. He didn’t know a lot about the sport, except that it’s a lot like football except without pads, but his curiosity got the best of him and he showed up for a tryout. Welsh went on to travel around the nation on UA’s rugby team and remains a devotee.

Welsh may be a farmer, but he certainly doesn’t dress like one when he’s conducting tribal business. Welsh is rarely seen without a shirt and tie, a trait that has led to some gentle teasing, even from his fellow council members.

“It could be 120 degrees outside but I’ll still be wearing a tie,” Welsh said.

It takes more than looking the part, though, Welsh said. That is why he’s also pushing hard to increase the size of CRIT’s revolving credit fund for small businesses.

“I really enjoy encouraging people to start their own businesses, but not too many people know about this program, unfortunately,” Welsh said. “I want to get the tribe more involved in the private sector. We’ve become too government dependent.”