Tribal Sub-Chief Agnes 'Sweets' Jacobs

Agnes "Sweets" Jacobs was born and raised in Akwesasne. Her clan is Turtle; Mohawk name is Kia ko ho ron kwa." In 1980, she married Casey Jacobs and made their home in Frogtown; where they raised/raising five children: Casey Jr., Kateri, Leslie, Cyndi and Louie. Sweets is also the grandmother of 10. She attended the local elementary schools on the territory when they were run by the nuns. Her continued education was off-territory because of the lack of schools within the community.

A "Small Business Certificate" was earned and then she opened a fast-food eatery named "End of the Trail." She relied on local residents to sustain her business which she was the owner of for several years.

Sweets completed a Registered Practical Nursing Program offered by
Iohahiio through St. Lawrence College and graduated top of her class with honors in 1992. She then went to work for First Environment/SUNY Albany under Mohawk midwife and women's health advocate Katsi Cook; as well as Dr. Lawrence Schell, Dr. Joan Newman and Dr. Mia Gallo.

For 14 years, Sweets served as the Senior Support Research Specialist and visited community members to gather data and perform health assessments to assess the effects of PCB's on our youth, women, men and grandparents. During this time, she realized that toxicants were leading community members to lose a part of their upbringing, cultural involvement and food security.

In 2007, Sweets was hired by the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne as a Diabetes Prevention Worker/Community Health Representative; where she was instrumental in initiating "Tetewatská:hon," the Green Food Box Program. She also helped establish community kitchens and programming; raised bed gardens; and as a Certified Food Educator she taught harvesting and canning in local schools, which her Food Security Initiatives featured in a publication produced by Health Canada.

Her most recent employment began in 2014 with the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe as the Home and Community Based Services, Waiver Supervisor; where she supervised a team comprised of habilitation aides, a fleet manager and a woodshop supervisor. She coordinated and provided daily scheduling for the operation of Disabilities Services and daily programing for community members who resided at the Tribe's Individual Residential Alternatives (IRA) facilities and Sweet Flag Estate.

Agnes "Sweets" Jacobs has also been sitting on the Salmon River Central School Board for the past three years. She also sits on the New York State Advisory Board for "Equity", Exclusivity and Inclusion. Just this year Sweets now sits on the Commissioners of Education Advisory Council for Indigenous Education and the NYSED Indigenous Mascot Advisory board.

• Tribal Sub-Chief July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2020
• Tribal Sub-Chief July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2023
• Tribal Sub-Chief July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2026