Chickasaw Nation citizen T.W. Shannon joins Department of Agriculture

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T.W. Shannon has been a frequent guest and commentator on conservative media, including an appearance on Newsmax on the night of the November 5, 2024, election. Courtesy photo

Monday, April 14, 2025

Indianz.Com

Tahrohon Wayne “T.W.” Shannon, a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation, has joined the administration of Republican President Donald Trump.

Shannon, a former state lawmaker in Oklahoma, is serving as Senior Advisor to the Secretary for Rural Prosperity at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). His position was announced in a news release on Monday.

“Agriculture is the backbone of America, and strong leadership at the People’s Department is key to America’s continued success. I’m proud to welcome this team of experienced, dedicated professionals to USDA,” Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said in announcing 24 political appointments at her cabinet-level agency.

“Together, we’ll work to promote rural prosperity and ensure those who feed and fuel the world can do so without regulatory burdens standing in the way,” said Rollins, who is the second woman to lead the USDA.

Shannon, a frequent guest and commentator on conservative media, shares a connection to Rollins through the America First Policy Institute, a non-profit that Rollins co-founded in 2021 to support Trump after he lost his first bid for re-election as president. Last May, Shannon joined the organization as a Senior Fellow for Transportation and Infrastructure. [PDF: T.W. Shannon Joins AFPI as Senior Fellow]

Both the USDA and the organization highlighted Shannon’s position as Chief Executive Officer of the Chickasaw Community Bank. The Chickasaw Nation owns the financial institution, which was established in 2002 to meet the financial needs of individuals, businesses and tribes.

Shannon joined the tribal institution, formerly known as Bank2, in 2017 as president. He later became chief executive before the leadership role was handed to a successor in March 2024.

“We have been blessed to have had members of the tribe who have worked to keep our heritage alive and keep our government alive,” Shannon said in a Chickasaw.TV profile. “I think those that are continuing that fight and furthering that cause are our modern-day Chickasaw warriors.”

The USDA’s announcement did not detail what Shannon will be doing as Senior Advisor for Rural Prosperity. Rollins has previously said she will make rural communities one of her priorities as Secretary

Shannon served in the Oklahoma Legislature from 2007 through 2015. He was the youngest person to serve as Speaker of the Oklahoma House and the first Chickasaw and first African-American to hold the position.

Shannon has mounted two unsuccessful campaigns for U.S. Senate. In his second run in 2022, he lost the Republican nomination to Markwayne Mullin, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation who later went on to win the general election.