Lisa Johnson Billy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lisa Johnson Billy
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Member of the Chickasaw Tribal Legislature from Pontotoc District, Seat 5 | |
| Assumed office 2016 |
|
| In office 1996–2002 |
|
| Member of the board of trustees of the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation | |
| Assumed office December 27, 2017 |
|
| Appointed by | Donald Trump |
| Oklahoma Secretary of Native American Affairs | |
| In office January 2019 – December 2019 |
|
| Governor | Kevin Stitt |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Brian Bingman |
| Member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives from the 42nd district |
|
| In office 2004–2016 |
|
| Preceded by | Bill Joel Mitchell |
| Succeeded by | Timothy J. Downing |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 21, 1967 Purcell, Oklahoma |
| Nationality | American Chickasaw Nation |
| Political party | Republican |
| Alma mater | Northeastern State University, University of Oklahoma |
| Profession | Educator, small business owner |
Lisa Johnson Billy (born February 21, 1967) is an American politician and a member of the Chickasaw Nation. She has served in important roles for both the state of Oklahoma and the Chickasaw Nation.
She has been a tribal legislator (a person who makes laws) for the Chickasaw Nation since 2016. Before that, she also served on the council from 1996 to 2002. From 2004 to 2016, she represented District 42 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. In 2017, President Donald Trump chose her to join the board of trustees for the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation.
In 2019, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt appointed her as the first Oklahoma Secretary of Native American Affairs. She also served as the Oklahoma Native American Affairs Liaison during that time.
Contents
About Lisa Johnson Billy
Early Life and Education
Lisa Johnson Billy was born on February 21, 1967, in Purcell, Oklahoma. Her father, Frank Johnson Sr., was a respected Chickasaw elder and had also served as a tribal legislator. Her mother was Beverly (Jones) Johnson.
Lisa Billy studied at Northeastern State University, where she earned her bachelor's degree. She later received her master's degree from the University of Oklahoma.
Early Career and Community Work
Before she was elected to public office, Lisa Billy worked as a teacher. She taught for the Department of Continuing Education at the University of Oklahoma.
She was also very involved in her community. She served on the board of Girl Scouts of the USA and was a leader for cub scouts in the Boy Scouts of America.
Serving the Chickasaw Nation
Lisa Billy first became a member of the Chickasaw Nation's tribal legislature in 1996. She served in this role until 2002.
In 2016, she was elected again to the Chickasaw Nation legislature for a three-year term. She officially started her new term on October 3, 2016. She ran for re-election in 2019 and 2022 and was unopposed, meaning no one ran against her.
Public Service in Oklahoma
Oklahoma House of Representatives
In 2004, Lisa Billy was elected to represent District 42 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. This is where state laws are made.
During her time in the House, she held several leadership positions:
- From 2004 to 2006, she was the deputy whip.
- From 2006 to 2008, she was the vice chair of the Republican caucus.
- From 2014 to 2016, she served as the majority floor leader.
Lisa Billy made history in her district. She was the first Native American, the first woman, and the first citizen of the Chickasaw Nation to represent District 42. She also helped create the state's first Native American caucus, a group of lawmakers focused on Native American issues.
She supported laws that helped tribes in Oklahoma. For example, she helped pass a law that allowed high school students to take Native American language classes for foreign language credit. She has said that Helen Cole was an important mentor to her.
Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation
On November 21, 2017, President Donald Trump nominated Lisa Billy to be a member of the board of trustees for the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation. This foundation works on environmental and Native American issues.
The United States Senate approved her nomination on December 21, 2017. She officially began her role on December 27, 2017.
Oklahoma Secretary of Native American Affairs
In January 2019, Governor Kevin Stitt appointed Lisa Billy to be the first Oklahoma Secretary of Native American Affairs. In this role, she worked to improve relationships between the state government and tribal governments.
She resigned from this position in December 2019. She explained that she left because of disagreements between the Stitt administration and tribal governments over gaming agreements in the state.
