A self-made businessman who operated his own construction company for nearly 20 years, Virgil Wind succeeded Melanie Benjamin in 2024 as CEO of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe. Wind entered the world of tribal politics in 2020 when he was elected to the Band Assembly. In that legislative role, he emphasized budgeting, economic development, governing transparency, and community engagement. Since becoming CEO, he was elected president of the Midwest Alliance of Sovereign Tribes. In 2025, Wind wants to support the band’s fast-developing cannabis business and “convert the band’s wider economic success into positive impacts for tribal youth.”