Rhonda Decontie (Algonquin and Penobscot) has served the Penobscot Nation’s Judicial System since 2011 and was promoted to the Clerk of the Court in 2014. That same year she was selected by the National American Indian Court Judges Association to receive its national Outstanding Court Support Award. Under her leadership, the Tribal Court has been nationally recognized as a leader in the handling of child protective proceedings and for its culturally aligned Healing to Wellness Court. Rhonda is also the recipient of the Tribal Law and Policy Institute’s Healing Advocate Award in 2019. During that same year she was appointed by the Governor of Maine to serve as the Tribal Court Representative to the Maine Commission on Domestic and Sexual Abuse. In 2021 the Penobscot Nation Tribal Council appointed Ms. Decontie to serve as the first Magistrate Judge to serve the Penobscot Nation Tribal Court.
Rhonda has also served the Hopi Tribe and the Lac Courtes Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa in helping to develop culturally aligned healing to wellness courts. She has worked on-site, in tandem, with court staff to rapidly initiate healing to wellness programs.
She considers her work for her people in the Nation’s Judicial System one of the greatest achievements of her life. She is committed to ensuring that the Court provides a just, compassionate, culturally aligned problem solving approach for those it serves.