The Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana and its members are proud to announce the re-election of Marshall Ray Sampson, Sr. as Vice-Chairman and Harold Pierite, Sr. as a council member, in addition to the election of James Craig, III as a council member.
“We’re excited to have all three of these men serving on our Tribal Council,” said Tunica-Biloxi Chairman Marshall Pierite. “I am confident that Marshall Ray and Harold will continue to serve the Tribe well, just as they have always done, and I am eager to see the fresh perspective James will bring to our council.”
Marshall Ray Sampson, Sr. has served on the Tribal Council as a Council Member-at-Large since the spring of 1997 and most recently, as Vice-Chairman. Over the years he has worked on budgeting, educational development, political development, community development and has experience in marketing, operations, budgeting, employee training, business development, community relations and expense control. Sampson has more than 23 years of experience in Tribal Government Operations, Gaming, Information Systems, Marketing and Hospitality Administration. He has also served on numerous community and pan-Native American boards on local and regional levels. An employee of the Paragon Casino since 1995, Sampson now holds the position of Assistant General Manager of Operations.
Harold Pierite, Sr. was also re-elected as a Council Member-at-Large. Pierite serves as board member of the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana and has been a member of the tribal council for more than 15 years. Currently serving as the chief of police for the Tunica-Biloxi Police Department for more than 20 years, Pierite also sits on the board of directors for Mobiloans, LLC. In 2017 and again in 2020, he was appointed to the Louisiana State Police Commission, representing the State’s 5th Congressional District.
James Craig, III, who is from Chicago, IL, is the newly elected council member. Before Craig was elected, he was a Relationship Manager at Bank of America, where he helped low income and high-income clients by educating them on day to day personal finances, established new relationships with high clientele and created business relationships with business owners. Craig holds the rank of Staff Sergeant in the Illinois National Guard. His Military Occupation Specialty is Interrogation Operations Sergeant, where he oversees a special team of soldiers that conducts interrogations for international matters. During his tenure with the military, he has deployed two times to Iraq and once to Afghanistan, leading soldiers at the front lines. He has previously worked for MB Financial, Fifth Third Bank and Harley Davidson.