In place of the usual Employee Spotlight segment, where we recognize employees of Medicine Creek Enterprise Corporation (MCEC) that have gone above and beyond their roles and duties, MCEC Deputy Chief Executive Officer Jennifer Hines requested (to my horror) that I write an article about myself, my position as editor of the MCEC Corporate Newsletter, and my background. I will make myself clear: I am under duress to write this piece.

All joking aside, my name is Daniel Warn, and for a little over a year now, I’ve held a position at the MCEC Corporate Office as MCEC’s Social Media Manager & Business Writer.

The social media part of my job is simple: I develop and execute a social media strategy for MCEC’s 17 social media accounts in collaboration with various managers and leaders from several enterprises that MCEC manages. My goal is to support the economic development efforts of MCEC for the betterment of the Nisqually Indian Tribe and its people.

While I enjoy creating graphics and strategizing how to best present our enterprises on social media, the part I like best about my position here is the “Business Writer” portion of my job. As the Business Writer for MCEC, I’m the editor and sole content creator of our monthly newsletter under the direction of our Deputy CEO.

I take great pride in creating the newsletter, which I believe serves as a bridge between MCEC’s corporate operations and the communities it supports. I do my best to communicate the indisputable fact that MCEC is a corporation that puts the betterment of Nisqually into its every initiative. I believe we are in the business of fueling the prosperity of a people who have been marginalized, silenced, and misrepresented for far too long.

So how did I get here? I earned my Associates of Arts degree with an emphasis in journalism from Olympic College in Bremerton a day before I graduated high school. In addition to becoming the valedictorian of my master’s program in creative writing at Full Sail University, I graduated from Washington State University with a bachelor’s degree in Intercultural Communication. Go Cougs!

I do my best to communicate the indisputable fact that MCEC is a corporation that puts the betterment of Nisqually into its every initiative. I believe we are in the business of fueling the prosperity of a people who have been marginalized, silenced, and misrepresented for far too long.

Daniel Warn, MCEC Social Media Manager & Business Writer

At WSU, I originally studied organizational communication, which fueled my understanding of how corporations communicate internally and externally. However, my intended career trajectory shifted in what I thought would be my final term at WSU.

I was in the process of completing the final requirements of a degree in communications with an emphasis on organizational communication. I had already completed the capstone class of organizational alignment and training. At the time, I was taking a course in Intercultural Communication as an elective to accompany my intended Org Com degree.

During that time, the subject of the impact of communication in the attempted total genocide of the American Indigenous peoples at the hands of the British and United States governments was introduced. My professor impressed upon us that effective communication is paramount to building and repairing relationships and trust with Tribal nations.

It became my desire to do my part to build bridges. I took an extra term and finished my communications degree with a new emphasis: Intercultural Communication. My hope was that one day I’d be able to work for a Tribe or Native entity in an earnest desire to help create equity.

With job placements hard to come by, I fell back on my roots in journalism. I was thrilled to achieve a placement at the Nisqually Valley News, where I was given the opportunity to report on the Nisqually Indian Tribe.

Through my work with the Tribe’s communications department as part of Yelm’s paper, I made valuable inroads that eventually led to my placement here at MCEC. It is my desire to take everything I have learned in journalism, organizational communication, and intercultural communication and create more equity for Tribal entities, starting with Nisqually.

Through my work with the Nisqually Valley News, I gained further appreciation for the Nisqually Indian Tribe through learning about the visionary treaty rights activism of Billy Frank Jr., the Tribe’s stalwart leadership in environmental stewardship, the collaboration it fosters with other governments, and the inventive programs the Tribe creates for the betterment of its membership and the surrounding communities.

I value my work here at MCEC almost as highly as I value my family, and that’s a lot. It’s my pleasure to be going through life with my wife Margaret and daughter Madelyn, whom we couldn’t be prouder of. Our little family has had many hardships, but we’ve somehow always come out the other side of them through our joint commitment to grace, forgiveness, and love for each other.

We’re homebodies who just love spending time together. We love to play board games and video games, and we hope to one day pass on our nerdy fandoms of Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and Marvel on to our six-year-old. When we do get out of the house, we’re probably at the beach or camping (or camping at the beach). Throw in an occasional trip to the zoo, and we’re living our best life!

Every day, I wake up and feel honored to be of service in what little way I can to the Nisqually people. My gratitude for the opportunity to work for such an amazing Nation cannot be expressed with mere words. My hope is to show through my actions my commitment to the Nisqually Tribe’s prosperity. This is truly the best job I’ve ever had!