Cherokee Nation Principal Chief-elect Chuck Hoskin Jr., Deputy Principal Chief-elect Bryan Warner and eight members of the Council of the Cherokee Nation take their official oath to serve the tribe, employees and Cherokee Nation citizens for the next four years.
Chief-elect Hoskin will serve as the 18th constitutionally elected Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. He is only the second elected Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation from Vinita, the first being Thomas Buffington, who served from 1899-1903. Prior to being elected Principal Chief, Hoskin served as the tribe’s Secretary of State. He also formerly served as a member of the Council of the Cherokee Nation, representing District 11 for six years.
Deputy Principal Chief-elect Warner, of Sallisaw, has served as the District 6 representative on the Council of the Cherokee Nation the past four years. He was also the campus director of Carl Albert State College in Sallisaw. During his time on the Council of the Cherokee Nation, Deputy Principal Chief-elect Warner was appointed to the Tribal Advisory Committee for the Center for Disease Control.
Members of the Council of the Cherokee Nation include District 1 Councilor Rex Jordan, District 3 Councilor Wes Nofire, District 6 Councilor Daryl Legg, District 8 Councilor Shawn Crittenden, District 12 Councilor Dora L. Smith Patzkowski, District 13 Councilor Joe Deere, District 14 Councilor Keith Austin and At-Large Councilor Julia Coates.