Amber Silverhorn-Wolfe

I am an enrolled citizen of the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes. I am also of Kiowa, Cheyenne and Arapaho, and Mexican descent. I am the Great-Granddaughter of John Sr. & Matilda Aquodle Queton-Emhoolah; Jose Antonio & Bellia Fegueroa; James Silverhorn (Billie Bow Haungooah) & Rose Tsalote; and Noble Hunt Segar & Ida Grace; Granddaughter of Jose Antonio & Annette Aquodle Queton Emhoolah-Garza and Leonard Haungooah & Eve Hunt Silverhorn; Daughter of Kevin Silverhorn & Rosemaria Ann Garza.

 

My preferred pronouns are she/her/hers. I am currently employed with AISES- Advancing Indigenous People in STEM, where I serve our Native people as the Student Success Program Manager. I also serve on various boards and committees as an advocate for Native American students within PK-12th grade and higher education settings. I am also a part-time student at the University of Oklahoma pursuing a PhD in Adult and Higher Education with an emphasis in Adult and Continuing Education (ACE). I reside in Anadarko, Oklahoma with my husband Vincent of 7 years and our four children Kaleiya, Talib, KyMani and Cambria.

I graduated from Riverside Indian School during my Junior year, and signed up as an active duty soldier immediately after. During my time in the military I learned from many people and experienced various cultures through location of duty stations and my peers. Below you can read more into what I did in my professional career. Everything I have done in my life, has always been in a serving capacity, because that is what brings me joy. I love to lend a hand when needed and share any knowledge to whomever will listen. 

​

My core values encompass compassion, accountability, perseverance, innovation, service and integrity. I am committed to creating positive change for our Wichita people and the communities in which we all live.  I believe in incorporating Wichita voices to make things better for all. Do know, I am only human and I fall short. Through it all I will always listen and take into consideration the impact of our choices. I believe we all have knowledge and ideas to contribute. From our youth to our elders, there are life stories, cultural knowledge, and experiences that we all hold. Each of our life's lessons add value to who we are as Wichita people.  

 

While, the last 7 years have been dedicated to education/tribal education, I am fully invested in obtaining tribal sovereignty for the Wichita Tribe. It may be a long road, but my peers and I are committed to taking you on that journey with us. There are so many areas in which we have not fully invested in as a Tribe, but we hope to make those changes. Key areas in which I am knowledgeable and invested are:

​

• Incorporating Wichita ways of knowing into all we do as Tribe, from the way we govern ourselves to how we provide services. This includes more use of culture and language.

• Creating a constitution that does not allow for one single person to control all entities of the Tribe.

• Accessibility of culture and language for all.

• Mental health education where we as an organization do not victimize or place judgment on those who have lived a life of trauma.

• Collaboration efforts among our tribal programs and commissions to ensure seamless service while maximizing assistance.

• Using data and research to grow and provide better services for our people who are:

  • Incarcerated​

  • Out of Area

  • Victims of Mental, Physical and Sexual Abuse

  • Veterans

  • Members of our LGBTQIA2S+ Communities

  • Wichita descendants

  • Citizens and descendants who encompass multiple identities, such as those who are more than one tribal nation, those who are affected by their social economic status/class, etc.

• Changing the current work culture for the employees of the Wichita Tribe, to include the Casino employees, and any other Wichita entity who have made their employees felt unheard, mistreated, devalued, or demoralized in their job roles as they aim serve our Tribal people.

• Working with our Commissions and not against them in their efforts to provide for our people. 

• Exploring more areas in economic development that extend beyond casinos and smoke shops.

• Collaboration, relationship building and increased communication with community organizations, partners, and our many other Tribal Nation relatives (Caddo, Delaware, Kiowa, Comanche, Apache, Cheyenne & Arapaho to name a few)----but extending our reach to all 39 federally recognized tribes across the state and beyond to the 579 tribal nations across the country. I believe if we could find a way to support and learn from each other, we can further advance our efforts as a Tribal Nation. 

• Ensuring transparency of Tribal revenue, to work towards a true revenue allocation plan where our tribal people have a voice in financial matters that impact our tribal people.

​

As a tribal member, I see so many areas for growth. These are only a few. Change doesn't happen in a day but with your help we can push forward together.

 

I fully endorse my other running mates on this website. Time and time again they have committed themselves to helping others inside and outside the community. I believe they will play a large role in bringing in a new era of positive change.

​

So:ti:cʔa for your support and encouragement,

Amber