The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation is governed by a Tribal Council consisting of seven popularly elected tribal members serving staggered, three-year terms of office.
The Tribe’s legislative and executive powers of government are vested in the Tribal Council as outlined in the Constitution and Bylaws of the Mashantucket (Western) Pequot Tribe.
The Tribal Council’s mission is to preserve, protect and advance the government and social, cultural and economic strength of the Tribal Nation for the benefit of past, present and future Mashantucket Pequots.
Rodney A. Butler is the Chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation since January, 2010. Mr. Butler’s service on Tribal Council began in 2004, one year later in 2005, he was appointed Tribal Council Treasurer; a position he held through 2009. During his tenure, Mr. Butler chaired the Tribe’s Finance, Housing and Judicial Committees, the MPTN Utility Authority, and served as an Interim CEO for Foxwoods Resort Casino.
The Tribal Council Chairman supervises the affairs of the Tribe and Tribal Council, and presides over all meetings of the Tribal Council and Tribe.
Mr. Butler earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Finance from the University of Connecticut where he played Defensive Back for the UConn Huskies’ football team. Prior to Tribal Council, Butler worked in the finance department at Foxwoods Resort Casino. He later became Chairman of the Tribal Business Advisory Board; an executive body responsible for overseeing the Tribe’s non-gaming businesses and commercial properties. Butler was actively involved in multiple resort expansions at Foxwoods, as well as community development initiatives on the Reservation, the establishment of the Mashantucket (Western) Pequot Tribe Endowment Trust, and the legalization of Sports Betting and iGaming in the state of Connecticut. He was also a participant in Harvard Business School’s program: “Leading People and Investing to Build Sustainable Communities” and is a regular speaker on national panels related to Native American issues.
Chairman Butler presently serves on the Board of Directors for Mashantucket Pequot Interactive and is on the board of Foxwoods El San Juan Casino. He also serves as the President of NAFOA, Regional Vice President for the National Congress of American Indians and on the boards for the United South and Eastern Tribes, Indian Gaming Association, American Gaming Association, the Mystic Aquarium, and the United Way of Southeastern Connecticut. He is also an appointed member of the Treasury Tribal Advisory Committee, which is responsible for advising the Secretary of Treasury on significant matters related to the taxation of Indians, the training of Internal Revenue Service field agents, and the provisions of training and technical assistance to Native American financial officers.
In 2025, Mr. Butler received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the University of Connecticut, and recognized by both the Tomaquag Museum and National Council of Legislators from Gaming States with Lifetime Achievement Awards. He is also the 2019 recipient of the Citizen of the Year award from the Eastern Connecticut Chamber of Commerce, and the National Indian Gaming Association’s John Kieffer Sovereignty Award. In 2018, he received the St. Edmund’s Medal of Honor Award from the Enders Island Retreat Center. In 2017, Chairman Butler was appointed “Tribal Leader of the Year” by the Native American Finance Officers Association.
As Chairman, Butler’s primary focus is to ensure long-term stability for the Tribe’s citizens, government, and business enterprises.
Latoya Cluff is the Vice Chairwoman of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Council, serving her third term of office as of 2024. Vice Chairwoman Cluff chairs the Tribe's Community Planning and Housing Committees. A Magna Cum Laude graduate of the University of New Haven, Vice Chairwoman Cluff holds a Master’s Degree in Labor Relations with a concentration in Human Resources Management, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Johnson and Wales University.
In the absence of the Tribal Council Chairman, the Vice Chairwoman performs the Chairman’s duties.
Throughout a career spanning more than 15 years in tribal government, business and management, Vice Chairwoman Cluff’s past experience includes managing two Tribal Council offices and serving in various roles within the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Government and Gaming Commission, as well as at Foxwoods Resort Casino, Big Night Entertainment Group, and Fairview Healthcare. Her previous volunteer service includes the Mashantucket Pequot Youth Council, as well as the Tribe’s Administrative Support, Education, and Parks and Recreation Committees. During the 1995 Indigenous Games, Vice Chairwoman Cluff represented the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Youth Athletics in basketball. She was also an active member of the Tribe’s Fox Dance Troupe, having proudly represented Mashantucket with a cultural performance at Cultural Exchange in Europe in 1995 and the opening ceremonies of the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.
Vice Chairwoman Cluff resides in Mashantucket with her family. She is deeply committed to advancing the education, employment, and health and wellbeing of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation. Vice Chairwoman Cluff enjoys serving her community.
Matthew Pearson is the Secretary of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Council, serving his third consecutive term of office as of 2024. Secretary Pearson chairs the Tribe's Administrative Support and Judicial Committees. Among the many internal boards and teams that he serves on, Secretary Pearson is most proud to be one of the two advisors to the Youth Council. As part of his commitment to advancing the Tribe’s business portfolio, he serves on the Boards of Directors for both Wondr Nation and Foxwoods El San Juan. Secretary Pearson holds a Bachelor's Degree in Media and Communications from Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania, as well as a Certificate in Publishing from the University of Denver's Publishing Institute.
The Secretary maintains an accurate account of all proceedings and official records of the Tribe and Tribal Council. The Secretary is responsible for the handling of all official correspondence pertaining to the business of the Tribe and the Tribal Council, maintains an accurate list of all members of the Tribe, and certifies all tribal accounts and official orders. In the absence of the Chairman and Vice Chairman, the Secretary presides over official meetings of the Tribe and Tribal Council.
His earliest role for the Tribe was in the Surveillance Department monitoring and upholding the integrity of the Foxwoods Casino gaming operations before making the leap to the Tribal Government where he worked several years in Tribal Council offices. Directly prior to being elected to the Tribal Council, Secretary Pearson served as director of the Tribe’s High Five Project, a federal grant funded initiative designed to improve the physical, social, emotional, and cultural well-being of tribal adolescents. He was also a founding Board Member of Command Holdings, the Tribe’s 8(a) Federal contracting arm.
In his rare free time, he enjoys cooking, reading mystery novels, and traveling
Merrill "Marvin" Reels is the Treasurer of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Council, serving his second term of office since January 2017. He was re-appointed the role of Tribal Council Treasurer on January 2, 2020. Treasurer Reels chairs the Tribe's Finance and Public Safety Committees, and previously chaired the Judicial Committee. Treasurer Reels graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia—widely regarded as the nation's foremost historic private minority liberal arts college. He is also a graduate of the Leadership Education Advancement Program (LEAP) at Foxwoods Resort Casino.
The Treasurer is the custodian of the Tribe’s financial resources, accounting for all funds and disbursements in accordance with the Tribal Council’s direction.
Prior to his election to the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Council, he was employed as a table games dealer at Foxwoods. During his four-year tenure at Foxwoods, he achieved multiple gaming certifications, and gained a broad view of the Enterprise table games operation.
Treasurer Reels is an accomplished athlete, excelling in basketball and football which he plays often. Using sports as a platform, he continues to help motivate and encourage Tribal Youth to help develop their skills, talents, and capacity to become future leaders. A self-starter, Treasurer Reels is committed to self-awareness, self-improvement and self-education which he accomplishes through researching law, health and fitness, civics, and spiritual and biblical studies.
A lifelong resident of Mashantucket, Treasurer Reels firmly believes that the true power of this Nation belongs to the people, and his authority to govern comes directly from the people who elected him. As such, he is an absolute advocate for his people first and foremost, and continues to proudly serve at their will and consent.
Daniel Menihan, Jr. has been a Member of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Council since 2016. He is currently serving his second term of office. Councilor Menihan chairs the Tribe's Parks & Recreation and Historical & Cultural Preservation Committees. The first of his generation to serve on Tribal Council, Councilor Menihan brings nearly a decade of community involvement and team management experience to the Council through higher education, tribal events, and career work in the areas of business management and tribal government.
Prior to Tribal Council, Councilor Menihan held the position of the Assistant Director of Bus Marketing at Foxwoods Resort Casino. A 2015 Foxwoods Spirit Award winner, Councilor Menihan played a key role in facilitating a number of cost-saving initiatives and staff training incentives, all of which enhanced the department’s stellar reputation. Councilor Menihan studied business management at Mitchell College and DeVry University, and interned in Las Vegas with Friedmutter Group to expand his experience in gaming resort management and operations.
Councilor Menihan demonstrates a lifelong track record of commitment to serving his community. He began working for the Tribal Council during a summer youth employment program and was quickly hired full time at age 17 to staff various Tribal Council offices–a career he held for 9 consecutive years. Councilor Menihan also served as a co-spokesperson on behalf of the Tribe’s Teen/Youth Council, and was a co-founder and co-spokesperson for The Rising Spirit: a youth-based, community action group that advocated for community and government needs while strengthening relationships between the Tribe’s Youth and the Tribal Council. Councilor Menihan is also a passionate advocate and teacher of traditional agricultural methods. He spearheaded the cultivation of the gardens at the Child Development Center.
In his spare time, Councilor Menihan enjoys native arts and crafts, drumming, and participating in cultural education activities. Among his artistic works are model replicas of Pequot Villages and historical scenes which have been publicly displayed at Foxwoods Resort Casino and the Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center.
“Your one job as an Indian person is to be able to lay on your deathbed and say, ‘I left something for my community that wasn’t there when I came, and I left my community in a better place than I found it.” -jessie little doe (Mashpee Wampanoag)
Michele Scott is a Tribal Councilor for the Mashantucket (Western) Pequot Tribal Nation. She is the Chairwoman for the Tribe’s Health & Human Services Committee and Economic Development Committee. Prior to being elected to the Tribal Council in 2022, she served as the Executive Director of the Health Education Center of Connecticut. Councilor Scott is deeply committed to health equity, tribal self-governance, strategic planning, and ethical research that respects tribal sovereignty.
Her dedication to community development extends into the broader community to represent the Tribe. Councilor Scott currently serves on Connecticut boards including United Way of Southeastern Connecticut, Hartford Health Care Eastern Region, and Connecticut Public Health Association. She is an appointed member of the Connecticut AHEAD Advisory Committee and the General Assembly’s Transforming Children’s Behavioral (TCB) Health Policy and Planning Committee. She is an active member of the Connecticut chapter of International Women’s Forum. Nationally, Councilor Scott extends her time to represent Mashantucket as Delegate for the National Institute of Health’s Tribal Advisory Committee (TAC), Delegate for Tribal Self-Governance TAC, and Alternate Delegate on the Indian Gaming Association Board. In 2024, Councilor Scott was also named the recipient of the Gemma E. Moran Award for Inspiration.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia University, Master of Science degree from Quinnipiac University, and Certification in Genealogical Research from Boston University.
Councilor Scott is an enrolled citizen of the Mashantucket (Western) Pequot Tribal Nation and is equally proud of her Eastern Pequot, Narragansett, Shinnecock, and Black ancestry. She resides on the Mashantucket Pequot reservation with her family.
Rahiem Eleazer is a member of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Council, serving his first term of office as of January 2026. Councilor Eleazer chairs the Tribe’s Natural Resources Protection and Judicial Committees. He holds an associate’s degree from Three Rivers Community College in Environmental Engineering and Technology and is working toward a bachelor’s degree in Natural Resources Conservation at Southern New Hampshire University. Councilor Eleazer also serves as Treasurer of the Alliance for the Mystic River Watershed’s Board of Directors as well as for the 4 Conservation Charitable Foundation. He is also the Environmental Justice Representative for the Connecticut Equity and Environmental Justice Advisory Council and serves as a member of the Avalonia Advisory Council.
Prior to service on Tribal Council, Mr. Eleazer served as the Tribe’s Environmental Liaison where he coordinated Mashantucket’s environmental efforts while networking with external organizations and institutions and local, state, and federal agencies to pursue mutual interests and promote the Tribe’s environmental preservation agenda. While working in the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation’s (MPTN) Natural Resources Department, Mr. Eleazer served as Program Grant Director for the Bureau of Indian Affairs Tribal Resilience Program Grant from 2020 to 2022 during which time he constructed a climate change vulnerability assessment for the MPTN. His work focused on ecological conservation, climate change resiliency and incorporating Indigenous philosophy within environmental practices. He has also served on multiple MPTN standing committees, boards, and councils, including the Tribe’s Historical and Cultural Preservation Committee since 2016 and Natural Resources Protection Committee since 2018