Bob Peters, Tribal Chairman

Bradley District

Elected to Tribal Council, in September of 2014, Bob Peters has been very involved in the rapid growth and success of the Gun Lake Tribe. Bob held the position of Tribal Council Treasurer from 2016-2018, when he was selected as the Tribe’s Chairman. Bob began his journey with the Tribe when he was employed with the Gaming Commission in December of 2010 where he held several different positions, supporting the opening and operation of the Gun Lake Casino. Bob was recently selected as one of the GRBJ’s 40 Under 40 Business Leaders, sits on the Gun Lake Investments Board as well as the Gaming Authority Board and took part in the Harvard Executive Training Program.

Chairman Peters values family above all else and is very close with his mother, two sisters and his nieces and nephews. Raised by a single Mother, he has been the ‘man of the family’ from a very young age. He also loves every opportunity he’s given to immerse himself in teachings, traditions and cultural endeavors of the Tribe. With a passion for education, Bob loves opportunities to offer his experiences and knowledge to the younger generations of the Tribe and the Community.

Jodie Palmer, Vice Chair

At-Large District

Jodie Palmer was elected to serve on Tribal Council, representing the At-Large District, in 2016 and started serving full time in May of 2017. Growing up locally, in Allegan, Jodie is the daughter of Noel Webb and grandaughter of Stephen Marks. Jodie has been married over 45 years to her husband, Rick. Each of Jodie’s three children work for the Gun Lake Tribe and she has seven beautiful grandchildren that live within five miles of her. She has made it her personal mission to live her life following the Seven Grandfather Teachings and she has begun her journey to officially join the Three Fires Midewiwin Lodge.

Jodie is very proud of the Gun Lake Tribe and the great services that are offered to take care of its Citizens and their families. She is extremely involved in several areas of the Tribe serving on the Education’s Kinomage Committee, the Housing Committee, Elders Committee, the Tribal Gaming Authority, the Design Review Committee and previously on the Language Advisory Committee. Jodie also works hard outside of the Tribal Government and serves as the Secretary on the Catching the Dream Board and the Michigan Indian Elders Association Executive Board. She’s also a member of the Kalamazoo Art League Board, Title IV Indian Education Parent Advisory Committee, YWCA One World Committee and the ERAC/E Committee.

Ben Brenner, Secretary

Salem District

Ben Brenner was elected to serve on Tribal Council representing the Salem District in August 2020. Grandson of Rev. Lewis White Eagle Church and Gladys church and the son of Frances Church-Pratt, Councilor Brenner has deep roots with Gun Lake Tribe. Ben grew up in the Hopkins area where he still resides today with his wife Stacy and their three wonderful daughters – Grace, Olivia and Claire. He is an avid outdoorsman and enjoys hunting, fishing, hiking and camping; but even more than that, he takes pride in serving his family and community.

With a passion for serving the Tribal community, Ben is dedicated to protecting Gun Lake Tribe’s sovereignty by exercising treaty rights and honoring the vision of our Elders. He worked as a Tribal Administrator for two years and a Senior Director of Operations following that until his election to Tribal Council. Ben also previously served as a Gaming Commissioner for the Gun Lake Tribal Gaming Commission, Health & Human Services Committee member, and Finance and Audit Committee member. Lastly, Ben also serves on the Hopkins Board of Education. Ben was a graduate of Hopkins High School, graduated from Ferris State University with a Bachelor of Science and currently attends Western Michigan University Cooley Law School in addition to his responsibilities on Tribal Council.

Nicole Overbeck, Treasurer

Bradley District

Elected to Tribal Council in 2018 representing the Bradley District, Nicole Overbeck has over 17 years of experience working for the Gun Lake Tribal Government. From an Administrative role to Finance to the Revenue Allocation Plan Administrator, Nicole has continuously been involved in positions that allow her to gain knowledge and experience of the inner workings of the Tribal Government. This knowledge has also lent itself to her passion for supporting and making a positive impact on the lives of Citizens in the Tribal Community.

Nicole proudly raises her yound daughter and two grown daughters with her husband, Jeremy. As a busy mother, she’s also found the time to serve on several Tribal Committees and as a Tribal Gaming Commission Liaison throughout the years. These include a previous stint on the HHS Committee, which she was recently reappointed to; the Justice Committee; the Election Committee; and the RAP/GWE Committee, which she is currently involved in but not as a voting member. Nicole also recently completed a term as a Gaming Commissioner where she was exposed to another facet of Tribal business. With all of her experience in various parts of the Tribal Government, Nicole is excited to work as a part of Tribal Council to make a difference for Gun Lake Tribe’s Citizens.

Ed Pigeon, Council Member

Salem District

Ed Pigeon served his Tribal community for 21 years on Tribal Council, with a majority of that time being spent as Tribal  Vice Chairman. He served as acting Chairman when D.K. Sprague retired and as the acting Tribal Administrator for several different periods throughout the years. He was also a Council representative on Gun Lake Casino’s initial  Development Board and Business Board, where he assisted with the initial planning, construction and operations of the  Casino.

During prior terms, Pigeon helped to create the Sovereign Fund and supported the formation of Gun Lake Investments,  serving on numerous boards and committees. As a member of the Health and Human Services Committee, he provided advocacy for Tribal children in Indian Child Welfare cases. He served on the Advisory Committee for nearly every Tribal  Department, sat on various non-profit boards and served a term as a commissioner for the State of Michigan. His experience also includes serving on the Gun Lake Investments Board of Directors and working at the Grand Rapids Public Museum as the Anishinabe Curator.

Brian Trevan, Council Member

At-Large District

For more than 13 years, Brian Trevan dedicated himself to the success of Gun Lake Casino, where he was one of two remaining “Day-One” Tribal Citizens employed. He started his gaming career in the Las Vegas market and after several years of gaining valuable knowledge and experience, he returned home to be part of the opening team at Gun Lake Casino. There, he was able to not only apply his Vegas experience, but also his education. Trevan is a proud graduate of Western Michigan University with a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree. He also completed a postgraduate Executive Development Program through UNLV and the University of Nevada, Reno learning from some of the most influential gaming-hospitality executives worldwide.

During his gaming career, he was fortunate enough to have opened Encore (Wynn Las Vegas) in VIP Services and The M Resort Spa & Casino in Player Development. He then went on to work for Gun Lake Casino’s opening management company, Station Casinos, at Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa; also specializing in Player Development. He has considered it an honor and a privilege to serve our Citizens for over 13 years, contributing to one of our largest assets.

Virginia Sprague-Vanderband, Council Member

Bradley District

Virginia Sprague-Vanderband was elected to Tribal Council in 2022, transitioning her leadership skills from Gun Lake Casino over to Gun Lake Tribe. Virginia represents the Bradley District and is honored to share her passion for protecting her Tribe’s sovereignty, living purposefully and remaining grounded. “My proudest accomplishments are my children, Ciara, Reece and Grace Jacobs. They hold me accountable and are also my biggest supporters!”

Virginia began her career working for her Tribe in December 2010 as Gun Lake Casino’s Training Manager. She was essential with developing programs for onboarding, leadership development and Tribal development for our Team Members for the past twelve years. Virginia’s last position with the casino was Executive Director of Organizational Development and Training and many people referred to her as the Gun Lake Casino Cheerleader.

Virginia is following in the footsteps of her father D.K. Sprague and sister Leah Fodor who both served on Gun Lake’s Tribal Council. She sits on the Language and Culture Advisory Board and the Tribal Development Committee. She is dedicated to the support of the Tribe’s culture and traditions for both today’s learning and seven generations to come. Virginia supports a Tribal community where we are able to help one another where we can and accept each other with what we know to be true.