Leading with Purpose

Bill John Baker was elected to two terms as Principal Chief of Cherokee Nation, serving from 2011 to 2019. Prior to that, Baker spent 12 years on the Council of the Cherokee Nation. In those roles, he worked with many local, state and federal government officials on infrastructure, health care and economic initiatives. Preceding his time on the council, Baker also served five years on the bingo board, which would eventually become the CNB board. As executive chairman of Cherokee Nation Businesses, Baker serves as an ambassador to the larger business community and the federal government. He is the ranking advisor to CNB’s board of directors.

Chuck Garrett serves as Chief Executive Officer of Cherokee Nation Businesses, the tribally owned holding company of Cherokee Nation. With more than 35 years of leadership experience across the investment banking, legal, and commercial real estate industries, Garrett leads CNB’s long-term vision, strategy, and growth initiatives across its diversified portfolio of businesses.

Since being named CEO in 2019, Garrett has helped drive significant growth through strategic expansion, M&A, and investment initiatives, contributing to a substantial increase in company revenue and profitability.

Garrett has been recognized as a Native Business Top 30 CEO and Journal Record Most Admired CEO. He earned a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Oklahoma and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.

Doug Evans oversees all of Cherokee Nation Businesses’ fiscal matters as its chief financial officer. Evans brings more than 35 years of experience in financial reporting and analysis, treasury management, operational budgeting, strategic capital planning, problem solving and supply-chain management. He works closely with the executive leadership team and the board of directors in setting strategic company policy and direction.

Tim Roberts is a senior vice president with Cherokee Nation Businesses (CNB) and serves as the company’s chief strategy officer. In this role, Roberts is responsible for enterprise strategy, transformation, and long-term growth across CNB and its portfolio of businesses.

Roberts brings more than 20 years of experience across tribal enterprise, federal contracting and large-scale, highly regulated operations. He previously served as vice president of corporate strategy for CNB and held multiple senior leadership roles within Cherokee Federal. Roberts holds a degree in finance from the University of Oklahoma and is based in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Enterprise communications for business and government are the responsibility of Brandon Scott. In this role, Scott oversees a talented team who drives external and internal communication initiatives. He plays a pivotal role in shaping the company’s narrative, enhancing its brand reputation and fostering transparent communication channels across the Cherokee Nation, its subsidiaries and its community organizations.

He brings more than 14 years of experience across tribal enterprise. He previously served as vice president of enterprise communications at Cherokee Nation Businesses and held multiple senior leadership roles.

With more than 35 years of technology leadership and more than 20 years of professional cybersecurity experience, Shawn Whitcomb leads secure digital transformation at Cherokee Nation Businesses. By aligning technology, cybersecurity and business strategy, Whitcomb and his team advance a resilient digital ecosystem, enable responsible AI adoption and ensure the company remains united and protected as one.

Whitcomb’s industry background includes healthcare, engineering, government, entertainment, legal, manufacturing, advertising, media and retail. He recently served as CISO and chief of staff for a London-based global law firm. He holds a Master of Science in management from Baker University, a CIO certificate in government from the University of North Carolina and CIO credentials in healthcare from the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME).

Robert Huffman joined Cherokee Nation Businesses in 2004. Throughout that time, Huffman has served as the company’s chief legal officer and a member of the executive leadership team. A practicing attorney for 46 years, Huffman holds a Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating. He has extensive experience in legal matters, including corporate, regulatory and gaming law.

Todd Hembree served as the attorney general of Cherokee Nation from 2012 to 2019. As attorney general, Hembree negotiated state-tribal compacts, settled a 175-year old treaty-rights dispute and initiated a first-of-its-kind lawsuit against the opioid industry. For 12 years prior, he was the attorney for the Council of the Cherokee Nation, for which he developed rules of procedure and drafted legislation. After graduating from Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, Hembree went on to receive his law degree at the University of Notre Dame School of Law in 1991.

Kim Teehee is director of government relations for Cherokee Nation and senior vice president of government relations for Cherokee Nation Businesses. In 2019, Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. named Teehee as the tribe’s first delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives. She previously served President Barack Obama as the first-ever senior policy advisor for Native American Affairs in the White House Domestic Policy Council. Teehee also served as senior advisor to the bi-partisan U.S. House of Representatives Native American Caucus. As senior advisor, she established an impressive record of accomplishments on a wide array of Native American issues. Teehee received her B.A. in political science from Northeastern State University and her J.D. from the University of Iowa College of Law.

Tim Baker has practiced law since 1973. Baker has been designated a Martindale-Hubble AV lawyer for more than 35 years, and he has been recognized in the top 1% of practicing lawyers. Since 2015, he has served as general counsel for Cherokee Nation Businesses. In addition to his private practice, he was the city attorney for Hulbert, Oklahoma, legal counsel for Tahlequah City Hospital, the attorney for Tahlequah Public Schools and a professor at Northeastern State University. Baker, an alumnus of Northeastern State University, earned his law degree at Oklahoma City University.