On the first Saturday of September 2025, history will be made as two women will take the helm of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma.

In a runoff election held Aug. 9, Sena Yesslith ousted Principal Chief Lewis Johnson by a vote of 545-520 and Sheila Harjo defeated Assistant Chief Brian Palmer 548-505. They will take their oaths of office on Sept. 16.

While this is not the first time a woman has served as chief (Alice Brown Davis was chief from 1852-1935), having a female chief and assistant chief serve simultaneously is a first for the Nation. Outgoing Chief Lewis Johnson acknowledged the historic occasion in a concession letter posted to social media Sunday morning.

“On this Lord’s Day, August 10, 2025, I extend my blessings to Chief-Elect Sena Yesslith and Assistant Chief-Elect Sheila Harjo as they prepare to take their historic oath of office on Saturday, September 6, 2025, 10:00 a.m. at the Mekusukey Mission. May their leadership be guided by wisdom, integrity, and a steadfast commitment to the Seminole people,” Johnson wrote.

“I wish to express my deepest gratitude to the members of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma for granting me the honor of serving you in many capacities over the past decades—a journey that began in the early 1990s under the guidance and blessing of our respected elders. Service to our Nation has been a tradition and calling within my family for generations, and I am humbled to have carried that legacy forward.

“I am thankful for the many tribal leaders with whom I have served— within our own Nation, in the General Council dating back to the 1990s, and in the Executive Office alongside Chief Leonard M. Harjo, Chief Gregory Chilcoat, and Assistant Chief Brian Thomas Palmer. I am also grateful to our General Council Secretaries, Ms. Alvina Coker, Ms. Jackie Warledo, Mrs. Valentina Tiger, Mrs. Susie Harjo and Mrs. Joanie Scott Randazzo, whose dedication has strengthened the work of the Nation. Though I did not serve with Mrs. Ella Colman in the Executive Office, I will always appreciate her role in bringing me into tribal government service, beginning with the establishment of the Records Management Department.

⬤ History

“Beyond our borders, I extend my respect and gratitude to other distinguished leaders of the Five Civilized Tribes, with whom we have worked to accomplish much for Indian Country. I also acknowledge with deep appreciation the employees of the Seminole Nation— your commitment within your roles has been vital to fulfilling the mission of our government.

“To my kinfolk and relations, I thank you for your encouragement. To my wife, Geri, and our children, I am forever grateful for your love, patience, and the sacrifices you have made so that I could serve. To our traditional churches and ceremonial grounds, and to the ministers—both present and those who have gone on—your prayers and encouragement have been a constant source of strength.

As Seminoles in ministry often say, ‘we must fulfill the work.’ It has been my honor, as your Council Representative, Band Chief, Assistant Chief, and Principal Chief, to do just that. I have fulfilled the work set before me. Thank you, and may God continue to bless the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma,” Johnson concluded.

Yesslith served as a representative of the Mekusukey Band from 2013 to 2021. In 2021, she ran for chief against Chilcoat and Johnson, finishing third with 306 votes (17.8 percent). For more than a decade, Yesslith worked in child welfare at Eastern Oklahoma Youth Services Inc. and the Indian Child Welfare Department of the Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma. After becoming a mother, she attended Haskell Indian Nations University, earning an associate’s degree in 2003.

Harjo has 45 years of tribal government experience, including eight years of service on the Seminole Nation General Council. Harjo previously served as a finance director for the Seminole Nation and Chickasaw Nation. In her interview with the Seminole Nation, Harjo said she attended Gordon Cooper Technology Center and earned a welding certification. Harjo said she was the first woman to pursue welding at the technology center. Later on, Harjo received her accounting certificate and worked as an accountant.