open a casino, contracted with Paragon Gaming to establish and temporarily operate the proposed casino for its first five years. The Augustine tribal government and Paragon Gaming funded the construction of the $16 million casino entirely through loans offered by Centaur, a finance company based in Indiana. Due in large part to the casino, the Augustine Band of Cahuilla Indians is now one of the largest employers in the Coachella Valley. In addition to the casino, Green also oversaw the creation of other programs designed to provide long-term, economic stability for the small tribe and its members. Her initiatives included the establishment of an organic farm and a 3-megawatt renewable energy project located on the reservation. On July 18, 2002, the eight member Augustine Band of Cahuilla Indians, led by Green, opened its casino in Coachella, California. The $16 million casino included 349 slot machines and only 10 card tables at the time of 2002 opening, less than the original plans had called for. Dignitaries in attendance included the leaders of several California tribes, as well as Tony Andreas, a traditional Cahuilla bird song singer who had been raised on the Augustine Band of Cahuilla Indians' reservation during the 1930s and 1940s before its abandonment. Green died on January 8, 2017, at her home in Coachella, California, following a long illness. She was survived by her three children, Amanda Vance, who succeeded her as the Chairperson of the Augustine Band, Ronnie and William Vance, and three grandchildren. Her funeral, an all-night wake, was held at the Torres-Martinez Great Hall and Gymnasium in Thermal, California, on January 20, 2017, with burial at the Augustine Band of Cahuilla Indians' Tribal Cemetery in Coachella. References Date of birth missing 1964 births 2017 deaths Cahuilla people Black Native American people Native American women in politics Place of birth missing Native American leaders Women in California politics People from Coachella, California 20th-century Native Americans 21st-century Native Americans 20th-century Native American women 21st-century Native American women