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    Chickasaw Nation


    “Trust and respect are core values of the Chickasaw Nation. Our Nation’s mission is to enhance the overall quality of life of the Chickasaw people. An important aspect of accomplishing this mission is improving the communities in which Chickasaws live and work.” – Bill Lance, Secretary of Commerce


    Advancing Sustainability

    Lowering Carbon Emissions

    In 2020, the Chickasaw Nation and its Natural Resources Office (NRO) collaborated with Oklahoma Gas and Electric to construct a five-megawatt solar energy center in Davis, Oklahoma. Under the partnership, the Chickasaw Nation purchases 50 percent of the solar energy produced, with the remaining 50 percent supporting other customers on the grid.

    Reducing Resource Consumption and Waste

    Since establishing the NRO in 2017, the Chickasaw Nation has been awarded more than $15 million in grant funding to assist communities with alternative water planning, prescribed fire management, watershed improvement, water infrastructure upgrades, drought planning and a multitude of other natural resource management projects.

    The Chickasaw Nation has implemented numerous recycling programs to reduce waste. For nearly a decade the Tribe has operated a reuse center that accepts new and gently used clothing, furniture, appliances and other items that are made available to those in need. Over the past ten years, the reuse center has diverted 1,708,913 pounds of material from going to the landfill.


    Strengthening Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

    Strengthening Employee DEI

    The Chickasaw Nation believes that the values of trust and respect are central to fostering an open and inclusive working environment in which the strength of diverse viewpoints can be fully realized. More than one-third of the Chickasaw Nation’s 12,250 employees are Native American, and more than 70 percent of the Chickasaw Nation’s executive leadership team are Native American. Women comprise nearly 53 percent of the Chickasaw Nation’s executive leadership team. In addition to requiring that all employees complete annual diversity training, the Chickasaw Nation also established a Diversity, Inclusion and Cohesion task force with representatives from all major departments within the organization.

    Supporting Racial Equality and Social Justice Efforts

    The Chickasaw Nation also promotes diversity and inclusion in the broader community by supporting important nonprofit programs. As just one example, in 2021, the Chickasaw Nation partnered with the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber and the Urban League of Greater Oklahoma City to sponsor the Creating a Culture of Inclusion event series focused on initiating conversations on inclusion and anti-racism within the business community.

    Engaging Diverse Suppliers and Vendors

    The Chickasaw Nation’s preferred vendor database includes a registry of hundreds of minority- and veteran-owned businesses that qualify for preferred bidding status with Chickasaw’s organization. In 2020, the Chickasaw Nation spent more than $47 million with minority- and veteran-owned vendors.


    Investing in Communities

    Expanding Education and Career Opportunities

    The Chickasaw Nation’s mission is to enhance the overall quality of life of the Chickasaw people. An important aspect of accomplishing this mission is improving the communities in which Chickasaws live and work. In fiscal year 2020, the Chickasaw Nation invested more than $21.6 million in scholarships, grants and other forms of assistance to more than 4,600 Chickasaw students across the educational spectrum ranging from early childhood to higher education. The Chickasaw Nation Employment Access Division offers a multitude of programs designed to remove employment barriers through vocational training, certification and licensing assistance, as well as access to re-entry and career preparation services. In fiscal year 2020, more than 200 Chickasaw tribal citizens received assistance in accessing employment through these programs.

    Addressing Critical Community Needs

    Chickasaw Nation telecommunications subsidiary Trace Fiber Networks collaborated with the Oklahoma Community Anchor Network and Oklahoma Department of Transportation to buildout a fiber optic loop spanning 500 route miles. The loop serves customers throughout the Chickasaw Nation’s reservation, which encompasses more than 13 rural counties in south central Oklahoma. The Chickasaw Nation has invested more than $25 million in the broadband project to date.


    Responsible Leadership

    Protecting and Empowering Customers

    Information on a variety of gambling addiction treatment and counseling resources are prominently displayed throughout the Chickasaw Nation’s gaming floors and at ChickasawResponsibleGaming.com. Patrons may enroll in Chickasaw Nation’s Self-Exclusion Program to ban themselves from Chickasaw gaming properties and be removed from promotional mailing lists. Chickasaw Nation also participates in Oklahoma’s self-exclusion program.

    The Chickasaw Nation’s Department of Commerce, Department of Family Services and Office of the Gaming Commission collaborated on services to make 17 licensed addiction counselors available at no cost to Native Americans and Chickasaw Nation employees.

    Training Employees

    The Chickasaw Nation employs full-time dedicated staff who work with the Oklahoma Association for Problem and Compulsive Gambling to develop employee training materials and maintain a statewide self-exclusion database that enables patron exclusion information to be shared among all participating gaming operators in Oklahoma.

    Investing in Research and Partnering with Advocacy Groups

    Through partnerships with the American Gaming Association and the Oklahoma Association for Problem and Compulsive Gambling, the Chickasaw Nation has implemented industry best practices to promote responsible gaming across the Tribe’s entire gaming footprint.

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