The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Tribal Council passed two notable resolutions on Nov. 5 regarding its relationship with Qualla Enterprises LLC, the tribe’s cannabis venture. Resolution 293 conditionally reinstated three of four Qualla Enterprises, LLC board members — Albert Rose, Morgan Owle-Crisp, and Tagan Crowe — for 60 days, after which their performance will be evaluated for signs of “measurable improvement.” The final member, Jacob Reed, submitted his resignation on Sept. 6. The resolution also states that failure to demonstrate such improvement “shall be grounds for permanent removal from the board.” Councilmember Shannon Swimmer (Painttown) added a payment freeze during temporary reinstatement to the document. 

The Qualla Enterprises board first came under fire April 2, when former Chair Carolyn West and Attorney Rico Frias advocated for a resolution that they’d submitted to tribal council requesting the removal of fellow board member Tagan Crowe. It alleged he had wrongfully attended a conference and forwarded sensitive emails. Council members and attendees reacted poorly to this ask, especially after Crowe named a lack of “transparency, accountability, and oversight” within the board — and West admitted that she had sent similarly sensitive emails to her Gmail account.

The body, citing the inappropriateness of drafting issues with a coworker into a public-facing document, passed an emergency resolution permanently removing West and suspending everyone else. They also referred the matter to the Office of Audit and Internal Ethics (OAIE). An OAIE investigation released in early June found multiple members including Crowe had sent and forwarded various sensitive emails but fined Crowe $250 for what it described as conference-related violations.  

The Smoky Mountain News reached out to Crisp, Crowe, and Rose for comment. Only Crowe responded.

“I’m looking forward to getting back to work,” he said. “I wasn’t sure if we were going to get a chance to prove ourselves, but we do have that chance, and I’m looking forward to it.”

Crowe added that he’s committed to achieving the eight resolution objectives, which the Qualla Enterprises advisory committee created after reviewing 435 board- and industry-related documents:

  • Amend the company documents (operating agreement and/or by-laws) to formalize board operations, including requiring notice of all Board meetings be sent to the Tribal Council Liaisons assigned to the company.
  • Improve recordkeeping of the Board, including agendas and minutes.
  • Revisit the communication and expectations with company employees, including    the organizational chart.
  • Shift from an independent contractor approach to full-time employees.
  • Better strategic planning and justification of long-term capital projects.
  • Address employee succession planning and key employee risk.
  • Make a decision on company independence in advance of 2029.
  • Focus on continuous improvement in communication.

The second piece of legislation built on Resolution 576, passed on Sept. 4, 2025, which authorized EBCI to enter an agreement with Qualla Enterprises to convert the latter’s loan into equity.

Resolution 342, passed on Nov. 5, approved this agreement. Agreement from both parties will bring Qualla Enterprises’ interest rate to zero by turning the company’s debt into equity the tribe voluntarily invests.

While the original resolution, based on the assumption that board members were still suspended, authorized General Manager Forrest Parker to sign the agreement on behalf of the cannabis venture, Swimmer successfully proposed an amendment that returned this responsibility to the vice chair of the temporarily reinstated Qualla Enterprises board.