Bio

Frank Butler Award

Governor Bill Anoatubby has held the position of Governor of the Chickasaw Nation, the 12th largest tribe in the United States, since 1987. Previously, he served two terms as lieutenant governor in the Chickasaw Nation’s administration.

Governor Anoatubby earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from East Central University. He served in the Oklahoma Army National Guard, where he attained the rank of staff sergeant and command of a light truck platoon before his honorable discharge in 1971. He joined the Chickasaw Nation government as health services director in 1975 and one year later was appointed director of the tribal accounting department. In 1978, he was appointed as special assistant to the governor and controller, and the following year, he was the first popularly elected Lieutenant Governor of the Chickasaw Nation.

Governor Anoatubby has served or currently serves as a member of the Inter-Tribal Council of the Five Civilized Tribes, the American Mothers Advisory Council, the American Indian Cultural Center Foundation, the Arkansas Riverbed Authority, the Dean A. McGee Board of Trustees, Murray State College Foundation, the Harold Hamm Diabetes Center Board of Advisors, chairman of the Native American Cultural and Educational Foundation, the Oklahoma Business Roundtable Executive Committee, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation Board of Directors, Oklahoma State Fair, Inc. Board of Directors, Oklahoma Hall of Fame Board of Directors, Oklahoman’s for the Arts Board of Directors, OU Price School of Business Board of Advisors, Task Force on the Future of Higher Education and the Goddard Center Primary Board.

Governor Anoatubby was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 2014.

Anoatubby and his wife, Janice, have two sons, Brian and Chris, and five grandchildren, Brendan, Eryn, Chloe, Sydney and Preslea.