It took some convincing for Kay Wallace Rhoads to run for chief of the Sac and Fox Nation of Oklahoma. A lifelong educator, she was the dean of students at a community college in Texas at the time when tribal members urged her to run.

She finally relented and filed to run on the last day possible. She came in second in the primary to her cousin. But she ended up winning the general election, becoming one of our four female chiefs of Oklahoma's 39 tribes, according to The Shawnee News-Star.

Now that she's moved back home, Rhoads is making economic development a priority. She sees gaming as a way to develop infrastructure for the tribe and the community. She credits other tribal officials for other initiatives, including the tribe's use of Bureau of Indian Affairs funds for local transportation projects.

Get the Story:
Sac and Fox chief looking toward economic development (The Shawnee News-Star 4/1)