Moose to serve as primary liaison between Essentia Health, tribal governments

Essentia Health is proud to welcome Samuel Moose as its new director of tribal government relations. In this new role, Moose will serve as the primary liaison between Essentia Health and tribal governments across Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin. His work will be critical in strengthening relationships with Indigenous communities, advancing culturally responsive care and ensuring tribal health priorities are reflected in Essentia’s strategic planning and advocacy.

With over 25 years of experience in tribal health care, human services and executive leadership, Moose brings deep expertise and long-standing relationships with Tribal Nations, state agencies and federal partners. His distinguished career includes serving as: Commissioner of health and human services for the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, where he led the expansion of outpatient health services, negotiated enhancements to the Band’s Indian Health Service (IHS) Annual Funding Agreement and successfully transitioned the Band to a self-insured health benefits model — saving millions annually.

Director of human services for the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, overseeing clinical care, mental health, substance use and public health programs for more than 7,000 Tribal members across northeastern Minnesota.

Executive director of tribal relations for the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth and Families, where he advised state leadership on funding, policy and consultation practices impacting Indigenous youth and families statewide.

“Samuel brings extraordinary insight and credibility to this new role,” said Andrew Askew, Essentia’s vice president of public policy. “His track record of building robust health programs, advancing tribal self-governance and securing meaningful reforms at the state and federal levels makes him uniquely positioned to help guide our organization forward in partnership with Tribal communities.”

As the director of tribal government relations, Moose will lead efforts to deepen engagement with all 11 federally recognized Tribal Nations in Minnesota, as well as the Tribal Nations in North Dakota and Wisconsin. He will also represent Essentia in national forums—in addition to his work on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Tribal Technical Advisory Group (CMS-TTAG) and the National Indian Health Board—further elevating the voice of the Upper Midwest’s Indigenous communities on critical health policy issues.

“I am honored to join Essentia Health in this new role,” said Moose. “Throughout my career, I’ve worked to ensure tribal communities have access to high-quality, culturally grounded care. I look forward to helping Essentia deepen these critical partnerships and continue its mission of making a healthy difference in the lives of Indigenous patients and families.”

Moose holds a Master of Tribal Administration and Governance and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Community Health, both from the University of Minnesota Duluth. He currently serves as vice-chair of the National Indian Health Board and has held leadership roles on numerous tribal and federal health advisory councils.