College of Law alum establishes new American Indian economic program

September 5, 2014

Thanks to his gift, Robert Rosette, an ASU Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law alumnus and the founder of the law firm Rosette, LLP, has made it possible to establish the Rosette, LLP, American Indian Economic Development Program. The program is housed in the College of Law's Indian Legal Program and the inaugural director of the program is professor Robert Miller.

The Rosette, LLP, American Indian Economic Development Program will include a law school curriculum for students; host an annual national conference focusing on tribal economic development for attorneys, tribal leaders and members, policy makers, entrepreneurs, and developers and financial advisers; and incorporate a community outreach component. ASU law professor Robert Miller Download Full Image

"Robert has devoted his law career to issues involving tribal economic development," said Doug Sylvester, College of Law dean. "This program is a wonderful addition to our Indian Legal Program and will help us expand the reach of our newest ILP faculty member, Robert Miller."

Miller's areas of expertise are civil procedure; federal Indian law; American Indians and international law; American Indian economic development; and Native American natural resources. An enrolled citizen of the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, he is the chief justice of the Court of Appeals of the Grand Ronde Tribe, and sits as a judge for other tribes. Before joining the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law in 2013, Miller was on the faculty of Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon.

Rosette formed Rosette, LLP, to exclusively represent Indian tribal governments in all facets of federal Indian law, including finance, commercial transactions and economic development. He has helped to raise more than $4 billion in economic development and governmental infrastructure projects for more than 30 tribes in eight states. Rosette has raised capital through direct bank loans, taxable and tax-exempt bond financing, venture capital, development loans, bridge financing and more for his tribal clients.

Rosette, LLP, has offices in Phoenix, Washington, D.C., Sacramento, California, and Kalamazoo, Michigan.

ASU wins grant to support women entrepreneurs

September 5, 2014

Arizona State University has received a grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to launch a new initiative to support and advance women-led businesses.

The $50,000 grant, awarded as part of the SBA’s inaugural Growth Accelerator Fund competition, will fund the ASU Women’s Entrepreneurship Initiative. The new program will leverage the strengths of ASU’s Edson Entrepreneurship Initiative and the grant will provide new resources to advance programming for women entrepreneurs at ASU and beyond. Download Full Image

While women comprise slightly more than half of the potential U.S. workforce, they are underrepresented among entrepreneurs. According to the SBA, women entrepreneurs are majority owners in only 36 percent of all businesses in the United States. To address the gap, the Women’s Entrepreneurship Initiative will provide support and resources specifically tailored to the needs of female entrepreneurs.

“When entrepreneurship training programs are created with the particular needs of women in mind, the results can be especially positive,” said Audrey Iffert-Saleem, executive director of entrepreneurship and innovation initiatives at ASU. “Research has shown that women who receive training from centers focused specifically on women’s entrepreneurship have greater confidence in their abilities, which positively affects their performance as entrepreneurs.”

The SBA’s Growth Accelerator Fund competition aims to draw attention and funding to parts of the country where there are gaps in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. ASU is one of 50 grant recipients – and one of only three universities – selected from more than 800 applicants.

The SBA will honor the winners at an event in Washington, D.C., in November, which is National Entrepreneurship Month.