We Are CANAR

Consortia of Administrators for Native American Rehabilitation

Meet the Team

Our Executive Board and Leadership Team

Lanore Curole

President

United Houma Nation VR Program

991 Grand Caillou Road, Bldg #2

Houma, LA 70363

Email: lanor.curole@unitedhoumanation.org

About Our President

Lanor Curole, MA, has been the Program Director of the United Houma Nation Vocational Rehabilitation Program since 2000. The program provides employment services for American Indians with disabilities. She earned her Masters of Arts in Rehabilitation Counseling in December 2005 from Western Washington University. Active in her state’s disability movement, she is both the former Chair of the Louisiana Rehabilitation Council and Statewide Independent Living Council. On a state level, she continues to serve as a member of the Southern University Rehabilitation and Disability Studies Department’s Advisory Council and the Louisiana Rehabilitation Council. Nationally Ms. Curole has been an active member of the Consortia of Administrators for Native American Rehabilitation (CANAR) since 2005 and the current board President.

Ms. Curole is a citizen of the United Houma Nation in southeast Louisiana. She is a life-long resident of Lafourche Parish where she continues to live within the tribal community and is pleased to have the opportunity to work for the betterment of her people. With the passing of her mother 16 years ago, Lanor considers her greatest accomplishment her educational achievements and credits her mother with that success. Lanor’s mother attended an all Indian school in Golden Meadow where she was only afforded a 7th-grade education. “My mother always stressed how important education was to our future. In particular, she wanted to ensure that her daughter was self-sufficient.” I think she succeeded.

Lyle Cook

Vice President

Oun’iyekiyapi VR Services

Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe

Eagle Butte, SD 57625

T: 605-964-4400

Email: ability@lakotanetwork.com

About Our Vice President

I am married to Julia (Dineh) and we have 2 daughters & 2 sons.

I’m an enrolled member of the Wak’pa Wa’ste O’yanke (Good River People) aka Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe located in South Dakota. I am of the Itazipco (Sans Arc) band of the Titunwan (Dwellers of the Prairie) of the Ptetaga Sakowin (7 Nations of the Buffalo People).

I have been employed with the Oun’iyekiyapi Vocational Rehabilitation Services, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe for the last 13+ years as the Director and 4 years prior to that as a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor.

At the preference of the CANAR membership, I have served in the past capacity as the CANAR President and as of recently, serve as the current CANAR Vice President.

Dr. Peggy Venable

Treasurer

Lower Muskogee VR Program

Job Training Programs/VR Service Project Tama Tribal Town

107 Tall Pine Drive

Whigham, GA 39897

T: (229) 762-3169

Email: cpvenable.mvr4@gmail.com

About Our Treasurer

Dr. Christina Peggy Venable has over 40 years of experience with vocational rehabilitation services, case management, job placement, and vocational evaluation, among other areas of expertise. She is certified in work adjustment, vocational evaluation, job placement, and worker’s compensation.

Dr. Venable is the Project Director of The Muskogee Vocational Rehabilitation Program and has served as a family, individual, and Mental Health counselor with various other agencies. She is a member of the Georgia and National Rehabilitation Association, Georgia State Rehab Council, and the Georgia Statewide Coalition on Blindness. Dr. Venable also serves on the Executive Board of the Consortia of Administrators for Native American Rehabilitation (CANAR). Dr. Venable holds a Master’s in Psychology, a Doctorate in Theology, a Ph.D. in Philosophy and received her Doctorate of Divinity, Summa Cum Laude.

Dr. Christina (Peggy) Venable is a member of The Lower Muskogee Creek Tribe and the Project Director for the Muskogee Vocational Rehabilitation Program. She is a singer, songwriter, author and serves as the Tribal Historian of The Lower Muskogee Creek Tribe in Whigham, Georgia.

Kim Lambert

Secretary

Eastern Cherokee of NC

Project Director

Cherokee Tribal Vocational

Rehabilitation Program

Cherokee, NC

Email: kimlambert@cherokeevoc.org

About Our Secretary

Kim is the Executive Director of Vocational Opportunities of Cherokee (a community rehabilitation program) and Cherokee Tribal Vocational Rehabilitation Services for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. She was formerly the Director of the EBCI Higher Education and Training Division. She has worked tirelessly for her Tribal members on education, job training, and vocational rehabilitation issues for 35 years. She holds AASBA, BSBA, and MAED degrees. She has served on the NC SILC Executive Committee as Chairman and Treasurer, the NC State Rehabilitation Council, and the NC Commission for the Blind. She currently serves on the Unto These Hills Scholarship Fund as President, Chairman of the Tribal Transit Board and on the EBCI HELP Committee for the Tribal elderly, and persons with disabilities. And she was just appointed a TERO Commissioner by the EBCI Tribal Council and just recently she was voted by the CANAR Executive Board to serve as CANAR Secretary to fill the unexpired term of DeLorna Strong.

Kim is an enrolled member of the 16,000 plus Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, and has 3 children; John, Jordan, and Jessica. She is a singer, social media enthusiast, and writes award-winning poetry in her spare time. She and her family reside on the Cherokee Indian Reservation, Cherokee, N.C.

Committee Chairs

Rebecca Holland

By-Laws Committee

Rebecca Holland is the Program Manager with the Pueblo of Jemez VR Program in New Mexico and has been with the program for a total of 11 years. She began her career in VR in 1998 working with the Veteran’s Administration in Albuquerque as a Psychometrist. She then applied for the position of Program Manager of the Jemez VR Program in the fall of 1998 and was the Manager for 8 years. Rebecca served as the CANAR Bylaws Chair from 2000-2006. In 2006, Rebecca positions to administer a Healthy Marriage Demonstration Grant from 2006-2015. She returned to the Jemez VR Program three years ago and loves being back as the Program Manager. Her passion is team building and reaching difficult consumers.

Rebecca was born and raised in Wyoming. She holds a Master of Science degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from San Diego State University and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Family Studies from the University of New Mexico. She also has a certificate from San Diego State University in Post-Employment Training in American Indian Rehabilitation. She has been married to her husband, Michael, for 36 years and they have 2 children and 5 grandchildren. They reside in Rio Rancho, NM, where they have lived for over 20 years.

Rachel Allen

Leadership Committee

Rachel Allen is the current director of the Delaware Nation Vocational Rehabilitation Program, which covers 8 counties in Oklahoma. Prior to becoming a director, Rachel served as a VR Counselor for 4 ½ years in tribal VR. Other experience includes working as a Disability Determination Specialist with the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services, which consisted of processing Social Security Disability Insurance applications, working with an NIH-funded study to reduce the risk of heart disease for American Indians in SW Oklahoma through the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (Balance), and doing contract work for the Native American parent technical assistance program (Visions).

Rachel received her Bachelor of Science degrees at Oklahoma State University in psychology and zoology, and her Master of Science in Rehabilitation Counseling from San Diego State University. Rachel is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC).

Melanie Murray

Conference & Special Events Committee

Melanie Murray is the Program Manager with the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community VR, near Scottsdale, Arizona. She began her career in Salt River as a special education teacher and State Champion Basketball Coach at Salt River High School. She then became a part of the original founding team of the VR Program in Salt River. She has served as VR Manager for nearly six years. One of her passions is transition services, which has been an emphasis of the Salt River VR Program. Prior to working in Salt River, Melanie was employed with Albuquerque Public Schools in New Mexico for over 12 years, working as a Special Education Teacher, IEP Specialist, Transition Specialist and Basketball Coach.

Melanie was born and raised in New Mexico. She holds a Master of Arts degree from the University of New Mexico and a Bachelor of Arts from Eureka College in Illinois. She and her wife, Meg and their four sons, Dillon, Ethan, Nicholas and Devon reside in Mesa, AZ.

Treva Roanhorse

Policy & Advocacy Committee