ADA – East Central University Distinguished Alumnus and Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby will serve as keynote speaker for the annual Lou Watkins Lecture.

The impact of tribal gaming on the Chickasaw Nation and Oklahoma will be the topic for Anoatubby’s lecture, which also features a luncheon. The lecture is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, February 4, at Foundation Hall inside ECU’s Chickasaw Business and Conference Center. The event is free, but reservations should be made for the luncheon by contacting Dr. Christine Pappas at 580-559-5640. Lunch begins at 11:30 and the lecture begins at noon.

Anoatubby will also field questions from ECU students. Lydia Bomboy, a junior Political Science major and Chickasaw Nation citizen, will introduce the governor.

A 1972 graduate of ECU, Anoatubby was elected governor of the Chickasaw Nation for the first time in 1987 and has held that position since. As governor, he manages more than 13,500 employees, more than 200 governmental programs and numerous tribal businesses. Under his financial leadership, the Chickasaw Nation became one of the first tribal governments in the U.S. to be certified as an A-102 tribe, with superior ratings for management and fiscal controls.

The lectureship honors Lou Watkins, former chair of ECU’s Political Science department. Its purpose is to bring recognized authorities to campus to address subjects of public interest at the local, state and national levels. Watkins taught political science at ECU from 1980 until 1991. 

Serving as president of World Export Services Inc. and as a member of the Board of Regents for the Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical Colleges, Watkins was honored as a member of ECU’s Distinguished Former Faculty in 2019.

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