Mashantucket — Rodney Butler, chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe, has been honored by the National Indian Gaming Association, which held its Mid-Year Conference and Expo last week at Mohegan Sun.

Butler was presented with the prestigious John Kieffer Sovereignty Award, named in honor of the late John Kieffer of the Spokane tribe. Kieffer, who was a dedicated member of the NIGA Executive Committee, advocated for Indian self-determination and tribal sovereignty.

Recipients of the award are chosen on the basis of their embodiment of NIGA’s mission and purpose.

"Chairman Butler is one of the most dynamic leaders in Indian country,” Ernest Stevens Jr., the NIGA chairman, said in presenting the award. “He is always ready to go to work for not only his people but for all of us defending tribal sovereignty. He is flat out a gentleman and such a great Warrior. We are all honored by his leadership."

Butler has served as a Mashantucket tribal councilor since 2004, and has chaired the council since 2010. Until recently, he also served as interim chief executive officer of the tribe’s Foxwoods Resort Casino.

In 2019, Butler has received the Citizen of the Year award from the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut and the St. Edmund’s Medal of Honor from the Enders Island Retreat Center.