The Southern Ute Tribal Council approved a Charter for the Internal Audit Department in 2017; this Charter established the department and defined its purpose, authority, and responsibility. During Adam Red’s time on Tribal Council, he and the rest of Tribal Council helped lay the foundation for the Tribe’s Internal Audit program and what that department has become today.
“When Adam was on Tribal Council, he was part of the effort to establish the Internal Audit Department,” said Brian Bex, Director of Internal Audit. “Now he is part of our team.”
“Adam has come full circle, joining the department that he helped establish,” Bex said. “Since that time, in 2020 Tribal Council reaffirmed that our audit scope is tribe wide.” Later in the year, Internal Audit underwent a major reorganization.
Under the reorganization, the consolidated Internal Audit Dept. reports directly to Tribal Council and works closely with each of the tribal divisions, including the Permanent Fund, Growth Fund, Southern Ute Shared Services, and Sky Ute Resort Casino. The realignment of the internal audit function will assist Tribal Council, as the governing body of the Tribe, while ensuring accountability across the organization and promoting good government for the membership.
“I think the Audit Department will run more efficiently once people understand the role within the organization,” explained the Tribe’s new Associate Internal Auditor Trainee, Adam Red. “Internal Audit has kind of a negative conation, but were here to help; when it comes to the organization — [we want to see] what’s happening, what’s good, what’s not so good — and how do we improve that? I see us helping the organization improve through efficiency, having better controls in place — so that we have process in place, so that the government can run the way it should.”
Red was hired into the position in mid-February of this year and has used his knowledge of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe and decades of work experience to hit the ground running in his new role.
Red has a long history of working for the Tribe, serving in a variety of positions. “I worked for Southern Ute Wildlife, then the Dept. of Energy,” Red said. “I’ve worked at tribal departments for long stents, usually around 10 years at a time; I totally see myself here for a while.”
Red worked with the Southern Ute Growth Fund in multiple roles, first as a GIS specialist with Lands, before moving over to Exploration and Production in a similar capacity, focused on dealing with rules and regulations. Red’s recent accomplishments include serving for a full three-year term on the Southern Ute Tribal Council, from 2016 to 2019, and being appointment to the Board of Directors for Fort Lewis College, where he serves in an advisory capacity.
“I am currently the only Southern Ute tribal member [in the Audit Dept.],” Red stated. “My experience can help, including my different positions with the Tribe throughout the years. I’m able to add a different perspective and help with an understanding of the other departments and how we can audit them. I’m able to talk to departments, and use that opportunity to ask questions, make our department completely transparent.”
“I think that Brian [Bex] has been a perfect person to develop this department,” Red said. “I think it’s really great to see this idea, and concept develop into an entire department. It’s neat to see, and to be involved with. The new auditors have proven that they are willing to learn, regarding aspects of the Tribe, absorbing everything.”
“Adam has been a positive contributor to our team and our department’s mission,” Bex said. “He is working on several follow-up engagements, including one on the Incident Management Team. As a trainee, Adam is participating in an extensive training curriculum. This includes training provided from the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, Association of Local Government Auditors, and Institute of Internal Audits, in other in-house training.”
“Having Adam on our team helps us continue towards achieving this objective of accountability across the organization for both good business and good government for the membership,” Bex stated. “We are lucky to have him as part of our team.”