Jeff Harjo has announced his candidacy for the office of Assistant Chief of the Seminole Nation. The following is a press release submitted by the candidate.

Harjo is the current Eufaula Band Representative to the Seminole Nation General Council and a Councilman for over 12 years. He is the current Band Chief of the Eufaula Band. Harjo has held the position of Eufaula Band Chief off and on since 1997 and has lived in the Seminole/Shawnee area since the fall of 1996.

Jeff Harjo Supports the Churches, and Elders

Our Indian churches need infrastructure; bathroom renovations, updated fellowship/cooking facilities, central heat and air for the churches and help removing old, dilapidated camp houses.

Our Elders are being over-looked and ignored; we need adequate meals for the elders, handicap ramps and yard work for elders that have no one. The elders should have a priority for housing and repairs to their homes, including social services. Our Elders are our link with our past and without them, we do not know our history, who we are and what they endured to provide for us.

Jeff Harjo will communicate to tribal members that live outside Seminole County and within Seminole County.

The Nation should be concerned about all tribal members. We must strive to do what we can to help tribal members, but also give them the tools to succeed by providing information. I want our Tribe to move forward together, and we should be willing to help those that live out of state and out of county including members that live in Seminole County. We need to open those lines of communication for everyone and inform Tribal Members. Social Media is a good thing, but not everyone has access to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other Electronic Media. Let us bring back that monthly Tribal Newspaper and create a companion pdf version on our Tribal Website.

Who is Jeff Harjo? Jeff is now an Elder of the Seminole Nation with years of experience as a Council Member, Band Chief and work experience with various Tribal Governments and membership on National Boards.

Jeff is a former Gaming Commissioner for the Pawnee Nation, Kickapoo Tribe and the Sac and Fox Tribe of Oklahoma.

Jeff is a former member of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Native Nations Broadband Task force, former Alternate Area Vice-President for the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) and former alternate Member of the Board of Directors for the National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA). Jeff is a former Chairman of the Shawnee Public Schools Indian Education Parent Committee.

Most recently Harjo was the Director of Compliance for 3 ½ years at Thunderbird Casinos in Norman and Shawnee. Other Tribes that have employed Jeff are the Absentee Shawnee Tribe, Kickapoo Tribe, Pawnee Nation, Iowa Tribe, and Seminole Nation. Non-Profit experience include: Native American Journalists Association (Executive Director), National American Indian Housing Council (Communications and Marketing Director) and Arizona Indian Gaming Association (Executive Director). Other employers include Shawnee News-Star, Learn Sat Communications, Oklahoma State University, KTUL TV, Educational Television Services at OSU, KOCO TV, OETA TV, KNME TV and KRQE TV.

Jeff is a 1972 graduate of Bowlegs High School and a graduate of Northeastern Oklahoma State University with a BA in History. Jeff also attended Graduate School at Oklahoma State University for five years while working full-time. Jeff Harjo is the son of the late Wisey Narcomey of Bowlegs and the late Jefferson Harjo of Sasakwa. Jeff is married to Emma Wesley Harjo; together they have seven children, nine grandchildren and one Great Granddaughter.

Goal as Assistant Chief

According to Article III Section 6 of the Constitution of the Seminole Nation: “The Assistant Chief shall assist the Chief when called on to do so, and in the absence of the Chief shall preside and when presiding shall have all privileges, duties, and responsibilities delegated to the Chief.” Not only will I assist the Chief but will assist all Tribal Members with any problems, questions, communication, or representation.