Dr. Charles Gourd is a native of Tahlequah; a citizen of the Cherokee Nation; and, an alumnus of NSU were he earned his BA in 1971. He earned a MA in anthropology from the University of Oklahoma, 1974; a MPh (1981) and PhD in anthropology from the University of Kansas (1984). Recently, he completed the Senior Executives in State and Local Government at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. His career has included public service with the State of Oklahoma; the Cherokee Nation; US Department of State on the UN Draft Statement on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; and rural development organizations. He is published in multiple journals and conference proceedings. His educational objective is to bring these experiences to classroom teaching.