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NATIVE AMERICA Continued from Page 17


Under Chief Bill John Baker’s leadership, the tribe has reformed and restarted the its housing program. Eight families have already moved into their homes and Crittenden hopes to see 200 to 300 new homes built each year. He also hopes to upgrade student scholarships and increasing funds for healthcare. “I’ve always stressed health care as my number one priority,” Crittenden said. “If you’re well you can do anything and get through any challenge. If you’re sick, you’re just worried about getting well.” Crittenden has been blessed with good health, never missing a day of work due to sickness during his years at the post offi ce.


He hopes to see Lasik surgery and additional adult dental care opportunities, such as caps and bridges, added to the medical services covered by the tribe. Crittenden also wants to provide better education about diseases that are common in the tribe, such as diabetes.


When he’s not serving the Cherokee people, Crit- tenden is probably serving in the community— through the Kiwanis Club, as a board member of the Mid-County Rural Fire Department in Baron, Okla., and at Baron Baptist Church. He also enjoys spending time with his family—his wife of 43 years, two daughters and sons-in-law, and three grandkids. And he is thankful for all Ozarks Electric Coop- erative does to serve its members.


“They had some devastating ice storms a few years


back that caused outages and decimated parts of the service area. They’ve been spending a lot of time cut- ting down and topping trees and cleaning the lines. I’m appreciative of all their efforts,” Crittenden said. “I have neighbors and friends who work for the co- op and I’m thankful for all they do.”


A serving heart


Jenny Trett is proud to be an Oklahoman and a Chickasaw citizen. The Sulphur, Okla. native can trace her ancestry to Oscar Lowrance (1883-1977), a rancher and state representative from Sulphur and an original Chickasaw enrollee.


Growing up, Trett’s Chickasaw gran=dfather passed away when she was young so she didn’t have day-to-day interaction with her native culture. For that reason, she appreciates all the efforts the tribe has made to preserve and share the Chickasaw cul- ture through the Chickasaw Cultural Center in Sulphur, the website and events where people can learn about traditional Chickasaw activities such as playing stickball, fl ute making, or learning to speak Chickasaw.


“There’s a whole division of the Nation devoted to culture, history and revitalization of the language,” Trett said. “The resurgence of the tribe has helped me learn more about my Chickasaw heritage.” Trett grew up on People’s Electric Cooperative (PEC) lines in the heart of the Chickasaw Nation. Af- ter graduating from East Central University in Ada, Okla., she worked briefl y for an oil and gas company in Tulsa, Okla. She then opted to return to the tribal headquarters in Ada to take an accounting position with the Chickasaw Nation.


18 OKLAHOMA LIVING


“If you know anything about the Chickasaws you’ll see they really persevere, adapt and keep going. That’s some- thing that’s been a big part of my life—to keep going no matter what life throws at you.”


- Jenny Trett Administrator, Division of Treasury


Joe Crittenden’s family: (from L to R) Son-in-law Bryan Unger, daughter Paula Unger, grandson Ty Unger, Deputy Principal Chief S. Joe Crittenden, wife Lynda Critten- den, grandson Caden Unger, granddaughter Tyler Paige Stopp, daughter Christy Stopp, and son-in-law Freddie Stopp. Courtesy Photo


ing in the Chickasaw mission to enhance the lives of its citizens. “Getting to see the results of our service—when a person goes to college who wouldn’t have been able to or seeing someone go through our jobs program and coming out with a much better position—that’s rewarding,” Trett said.


Over the years, Trett has experienced several Chickasaw values that have helped shape her as a leader. “If you know anything about the Chickasaws you’ll see they really persevere, adapt and keep go- ing,” Trett said. “That’s something that’s been a big part of my life—to keep going no matter what life throws at you.”


“I looked at a couple other accounting jobs, but I wanted to serve Chickasaw citizens,” Trett said. “Rather than work at a for-profi t company, I took an entry-level accounting position with the tribe.” Fifteen years later, Trett still serves the tribe—cur- rently as the administrator for the Chickasaw Na- tion Division of Treasury. She works directly for Governor Bill Anoatubby, one of 17 members of his leadership team, and manages the Chickasaw gov- ernment’s fi nancial operations. One of the greatest rewards of working for the tribe has been participat-


One of those challenges impacted Trett as a young girl. Her dad passed away when she was 2 years old and her mom was left to raise three children as a single parent. Determined to earn a college degree, Trett was diligent to achieve good grades so she would receive scholarships to fund her education; she also worked throughout her time in college. Her perseverance paid off—she completed and paid for her bachelor’s degree in three-and-a-half years. Another leadership quality she’s learned from the Chickasaws is being a servant fi rst. She understands that she’s not only working for herself, but also for her tribe and the Chickasaw people.


“Governor Anoatubby has a heart for servant lead- ership. If you’re a leader you should be a servant fi rst. He’s really impressed that on me,” Trett said. “You should be there to lift someone else up—not to be seen.”


What Trett has learned about service and leader-


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