CNB Setting New Records

I’m proud to report that Cherokee Nation Businesses is on a record setting roll. 

At CNB, our Net Income increased from $91 Million in 2011 to $111 Million last year – a staggering 23% increase. And we saw dividends to the Nation grow from $30 Million to $57 million last year - that is a 90% increase in just one year under my administration.

We are hitting all-time highs in production and earnings. That means creating more jobs and contributing more to the state economy. Overall our annual economic impact is well over $1 Billion dollars in Oklahoma.

As Chief, I am committed to continue improving the lives of our people through health care, housing, education, and public safety. 

We are setting records and we are just getting started.

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Scenes from 2013 Bassmaster Classic

Cherokee Nation Businesses (CNB) was a proud sponsor of the 2013 Bassmaster Classic fishing tournament held over the weekend in Northeast Oklahoma. CNB also supported Jason Christie, a local Cherokee citizen who participated in the event. He finished in the top 10. The event had a significant financial impact on the region.

Read the Tulsa World coverage here.

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Celebrating the Anniversary of the Cherokee Phoenix

Today the Cherokee Phoenix turns 185 years old. We are proud of this milestone - for almost two centuries the story of our people has been chronicled and told by the Phoenix.The Cherokee Phoenix was the first newspaper to be produced by any American Indian tribe, it was the first newspaper in Oklahoma and it was the first bilingual newspaper in the United States.

This anniversary is a celebration of the Cherokee written tradition and our accomplishments as a sovereign tribal nation. The Cherokee Phoenix is and will always be THE newspaper of the Cherokee Nation. That is as true today as it was in the 1800’s.

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Senate Passes VAWA

The U.S. Senate passed the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act and it is a great day for Oklahoma, the Cherokee Nation, and all of Indian Country. The heart of this is issue is protecting our daughters, our aunts, our grandmothers, our sisters, and mothers from violent offenders. It is about doing the right thing and I implore the U.S. House to move quickly and pass it. The vote is an important step toward empowering the Cherokee Nation to better protect our citizens.  We must continue to push the House to act to ensure that violent offenders will no longer be able to slip through loopholes when they assault women in tribal jurisdictional boundaries.

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Remembering Charles Head

Recently the people of the Cherokee Nation lost a true champion in Secretary of State Charles Head. Charles was my friend and an integral part of the leadership team at the Cherokee Nation.

He was dedicated to his tribe, his country and his family. A military veteran of the Vietnam War, Charles was dedicated to defending the Cherokee Nation’s tribal sovereignty and he served his people with pride and unwavering commitment. Charles Head was passionate about the issues important to Cherokee people – education, health care, housing and public safety. As Secretary of State, he was vital in spearheading programs in these areas and driving them forward.

I will always value his leadership and dedication to the Cherokee way. Charles was a man any Cherokee citizen could look to with respect and admiration. He will be deeply missed.

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Cherokee Nation Community Meeting in DC

Friends –

Today I am traveling to Washington D.C. As Chief of the Cherokee Nation, the largest tribe in the U.S., reaching out to our federal lawmakers and policymakers about issues important to Cherokee citizens is something I have and will always make a priority. It is critical to make sure our U.S. Senators and Representatives know what issues are important to the Cherokee Nation and to Indian Country in general.

But what makes this trip unique is that it coincides with the inaugural meeting of our D.C. area Cherokee community group. Wednesday, Jan. 30 will be the first ever official gathering of Beltway area Cherokee citizens. These types of at large community meetings allow us a chance to communicate with our citizens on tribal programs, opportunities and tell about some of the successes the Cherokee Nation has recently experienced. 

I made a commitment to enhance and improve communication with Cherokee citizens, and that applies to our families living outside the 14 County jurisdictional boundaries. In Washington, D.C. we have several hundred citizens in the area with federal jobs, or an IHS position or involved in the legislative process in some capacity.

We are proud of our people doing amazing work in D.C. This community meeting will allow them to come together, maybe make some new connections and hopefully coordinate future gatherings down the road. Cherokee staff and elected officials will be on hand to answer questions and also help local Cherokee citizens get new photo tribal ID cards.

I look forward to meeting with each and every citizen in attendance, learning more about their lives and forging relationships that will last a lifetime.  

Wado, and hope to see some of you soon in our nation’s capitol.  

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