Robert is the Immediate Chair of the Board of Directors of the Willamette Falls Trust. Widely regarded for his vast knowledge of cultural history in the region and his diplomatic leadership, Robert Kentta is the Cultural Resources Director and currently serves on Siletz Tribal Council for 18+ years. He actively supports Siletz languages, ceremonial and cultural events, cultural and sacred site protection, archeological and archival research, history and cultural education. Robert is a traditional artist who specializes in regalia and basket weaving and mentors Tribal members interested in continuing these traditions and cultural continuity of the Tribe. He grew up in his Tribal community of Siletz, Oregon and attended the Institute of American Indians Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Toby Patrick is a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and is serving his first term on the Tribe’s governing Board of Trustees. Through his career, Toby has served 28 years working with Cultural Resources employed by the Tribe, as well as the Cultural Resource Committee.
Toby is known in the community as a spiritual longhouse leader, a culture keeper, and his connection to Willamette Falls spans countless generations back in his family. He recounts his first trip to fish for the k’suyas, the eel, as a young boy and the significance of connection to traditional fishing places and connecting with other Native families there from Tribes in the region. Toby holds that the responsibility to caretake these places, and the fish relatives, is important for the benefit of the netitite, all Indian people. Toby brings these perspectives to the Board of Directors to lead alongside other Tribal representatives for the betterment of these Falls and the communities connected to them.
Brigette Scott is a fisherwoman, tradition keeper, artist, and cultural anthropologist with the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon. Deeply rooted in her community, she has worked extensively with both children and elders to support cultural education and knowledge sharing.
Brigette served on the Warm Springs Tribal Council from 2016 to 2022 and was re-elected in 2025 to serve another term. She made history as the first woman from CTWSR to serve on the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, where she championed the protection of tribal fishing rights and the preservation of vital river ecosystems.
We are honored to welcome Brigette to the Tribal Leadership Committee and Board of Directors at Willamette Falls Trust, where she will serve as the delegate for Warm Springs. Her leadership and cultural insight will be instrumental in guiding our efforts to restore public access to Willamette Falls and support the continuation of traditional practices at this sacred site.
Jeremy Takala (Pax’una’shut) is a member of the Kahmiltpah Band (Rock Creek) and a second-term member of the Yakama Nation Tribal Council. A dedicated advocate for treaty rights and environmental stewardship, Jeremy serves on the Willamette Falls Trust Board and Tribal Leadership Committee, bringing a lifetime of commitment to tribal sovereignty, natural resources, and community well-being.
Jeremy’s dedication to the Columbia River Basin runs deep. He serves as Treasurer of the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC) — where he previously served as Chair — and spent 12 years conducting vital salmon and habitat restoration work with Yakama Nation Fisheries. His regional and national leadership includes representing the Yakama Nation on the historic, White House-backed Columbia Basin River Initiative, as well as serving on the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) and the Seattle Indigenous Advisory Council. On Tribal Council, he guides work across the Fish and Wildlife, Legislative, Law and Order, and Veterans committees, and has successfully led efforts to secure critical funding for tribal law enforcement to combat the regional fentanyl crisis.
For Jeremy, the work at Willamette Falls is deeply personal. His relationship with the Falls began in childhood, when his uncle and grandfather first took him, his brother, and his cousins to the area. Every year since, returning to the Falls for the annual Eel (Lamprey) harvest with his family has been a central tradition — providing sacred traditional food for longhouses and local communities.
"Willamette Falls has been an important place to me since I was a child...It’s vital to ensure our children have the opportunity to build their own connection to this sacred food gathering site. This project offers a unique opportunity to share history, pass down knowledge, and show how tribes, the Trust, and the broader community can collaborate to help everyone connect with this special place."
Raised in Goldendale, Washington, as a drummer and provider for the Rock Creek Longhouse, Jeremy is deeply rooted in his culture and is raising his children to be active in their community. Guided by a framework of lifetime stewardship, he remains devoted to protecting ancestral waters, traditional foods, and inherent treaty rights for generations to come.
