WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 1, 2005) -- Native American Capital (NAC), LP, an 'All Indian Country' social private equity fund, has announced the appointment of Professor Gavin Clarkson to its National Advisory Board. Dr. Clarkson is a leading authority in American Indian economic development, finance, and law.

"We are pleased that Dr. Clarkson, who is a nationally recognized leader in Native American economic development and tribal finance, has agreed to help guide our efforts to invest in high growth businesses in Native American and Alaska Native communities," said Walter Hillabrant, a managing director of NAC, LP. and an enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation of Oklahoma. "His expertise in Native American issues and in wealth creation will be a great asset as we move forward."

Led by Native Americans, NAC, LP, is the first private equity and venture capital firm serving a national American Indian market. Targeted investments have a special focus on health care, infrastructure, the environment, education, and commerce.

Dr. Clarkson is an assistant professor in the School of Information at the University of Michigan.  He also has simultaneous appointments at the Law School and in Native American Studies. Dr. Clarkson holds both a bachelor's degree and an MBA from Rice University, a doctorate from the Harvard Business School in Technology and Operations Management, and is a cum laude graduate of the Harvard Law School, where he was the managing editor of the Harvard Journal of Law and Technology and president of the Native American Law Student Association.

An enrolled member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Dr. Clarkson has consulted, written, and published extensively on tribal sovereignty, tribal governance and court systems, tribal economic development, and tribal asset management, and has conducted extensive research on the empirical data underlying the American Indian mascot controversy. Dr. Clarkson was also a contributing author for the most recent edition of Felix Cohen's Handbook of Federal Indian Law, providing material on tribal finance, tribal corporations, economic development, and intellectual property. Dr. Clarkson holds both the Series 7 and Series 24 Securities licenses from the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD).