Halito!
As a tribal leader and a public servant, I have always believed that the path to true sovereignty begins with the ability to educate our people and provide meaningful economic opportunities. In this legislative term, my agenda is focused on building a stronger foundation for the future, one that ensures our children have access to quality education and our communities have the tools they need to prosper economically, both on the reservation and throughout Oklahoma.
Strengthening Education for Future Generations
Education is more than a classroom experience, it is a pathway to empowerment, identity, and self-determination. Some of my legislative priorities include:
- Increasing Tribal and State Investment into professional development for our rural schools that will directly affect academic outcomes in the classroom
- Expanding Tribal education programs to include Native history and curriculum that reflects our shared heritage
- Expanding New Scholarship and Workforce Training Opportunities
- I am advocating for increased scholarship funding for Choctaw students and new workforce development programs in trades, healthcare, agriculture, and technology. These efforts will ensure our young people are prepared for the evolving job market leadership roles within their communities.
Laying the Groundwork for Economic Independence
- Continue to support Chahtapreneurs, I will continue to support legislation that creates more access to capital, technical assistance, and incubator spaces for those areas that do not have that benefit yet. Local business are the backbone of our economy, and they could greatly benefit from our investment.
- Infrastructure investment continues to be a high priority in our rural communities on the reservation, hopefully we will be able to secure state and federal funding that we can partner with to enable completion of many projects. Roads, clean energy, water systems, and broadband to name a few, these projects create jobs and lay the groundwork for long-term economic resilience.
My legislative agenda is rooted in the belief that when our children have access to quality education and our communities have economic opportunities, we all thrive. This is not just a tribal issue or a rural issue it’s a Oklahoma issue. Together, we must invest in policies that lift up every community.
As your representative, I remain dedicated to this work and invite continued collaboration from tribal leaders, educators, business owners, and policy makers. Let us build a future defined not by limitations, but by potential.
Yakoke!
Anthony Dillard, Tribal Councilman District 10