A citizen of the Muscogee Nation and a proud Oklahoma State University graduate, Mr. Azbell previously worked for the Tribe for over a decade with stints in the District Court, Cultural Affairs, and Department of Interior. With a BS in Environmental Science (College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources) and a master’s in political science (Public Administration/Public Policy), Mr. Azbell is well suited to lead our Extension Program. To diversify his experience, Christopher spent the last five years working for HF Sinclair where he started off as a Crude Unit Operator and progressed to Senior HR Business Partner for the organization.
After graduating high school in Tecumseh, Oklahoma, Lacey Azbell earned a bachelors degree in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma. She made her way to Okmulgee, Oklahoma in the fall of 2009, where she currently still lives and raises her family. Lacey completed a master’s degree in Administrative Leadership at the University of Oklahoma in the spring of 2017. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Oklahoma State University.
Working with the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, Lacey quickly became acclimated to the unique cultural dynamics of the area. She started working at the College of the Muscogee Nation as Research Specialist in 2013. In that role, Lacey worked primarily on the college’s accreditation process, which led to Initial Accreditation in fall 2016. Working with departments to align their processes with Higher Learning Commission policies allowed Lacey to develop a system-wide understanding of how departments work together for institution-wide improvement.
Moving from Research Specialist into the Financial Aid Coordinator role in 2019, Lacey was able to work closely with students as they worked to achieve their educational goals. She learned how to assist students and their parents as they navigated the complexities of financial aid, while maintaining institutional compliance with Title IV regulations. In fall 2021, she moved from Financial Aid Coordinator to the Registrar position. This has allowed her to work with students as they prepare for graduation, and ensures that student records are complete and available as students complete their education at CMN.
Included in her committee work at CMN, Lacey has chaired the IRB and Publications Committees, co-chaired the Initial Accreditation Steering Committee, and participated on the Garden Advisory Committee, Curriculum Committee, Grade Appeal Committee, Achieving the Dream Committee, and numerous ad-hoc committees. She also currently is a member of the Executive Leadership Group at CMN, and is involved in the ongoing Strategic Planning currently happening on campus.
I was born and raised in Oklahoma all my life. I graduated high school at Hartshorne, Oklahoma, in 2003 through Jones Academy, a Choctaw boarding school. I have been working in Security for ten years now. I have been at CMN since April 2020. I enjoy meeting and talking to new people. I have a ten-year-old daughter, Liliahna, so I do everything possible to open doors and new opportunities for her. If you don’t see me working here at CMN, you’ll catch me at Softball tournaments and leagues watching her play. Go #15! And one more fact about me is I am a big-time OSU fan. Go Pokes!
Linette Factor is Muscogee (Creek) from the Broken Arrow Tribal Town and is Nokosvlke (Bear Clan). She graduated from OSU-Okmulgee with an Associate in Applied Science in Accounting, Bacone College with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, College of the Muscogee Nation with an Associates of Arts in Native American Studies, and Northeastern State University with a Master of Business Administration. She is currently enrolled at Grand Canyon University, where she is pursuing a Doctorate in Business Administration.
Linette has been employed with the College of the Muscogee Nation since July 2013. She served as an Accounting Specialist for eight years before being promoted to Accounting Manager, where she worked for nine months before being selected as Director of Business Affairs. Her professional experience began with the Muscogee (Creek) Nation a year after graduating high school. She has worked within the Muscogee (Creek) Nation’s Housing Division, Payroll Department, and Tax Commission, where she gained experience in tribal government.
Linette enjoys volunteering in the community and has served previously on the Okmulgee Indian Community’s Board of Directors as Treasurer and Secretary. She is currently a member of the Okmulgee Johnson O’Malley Parent Committee, where she has served as Member-At-Large and is currently Secretary. In addition, she is a member of Nuyaka Indian Baptist Church and helps her mother, Irene Washington, Women’s Leader, at Artussee Indian Baptist Church.
In addition to her duties as the Director of Business Affairs, Linette participates in the following committees: HEERF Emergency Assistance Committee, Accreditation Steering Committees for Reaffirmation Federal Compliance and Initial Accreditation Criterion Two, Graduation Committee, Fall Fest Committee, Institutional Outcome Subcommittee, and participated in the Leadership Class.
Linette and her husband, Brian, have one son. She has lived in Okmulgee since 1979 and enjoys spending time with her family and attending church.
Patricia Farrell is a Case Manager and Civil Rights Compliance Coordinator in Health & Wellness for Mvskoke Etvlwv Nakcokv Mvhakv Svhvlwecvt (College of the Muscogee Nation). She is from Dewar, Oklahoma, and Mvskoke (Creek). Patricia is from the Racoon Clan (Wotkvlke).
She has worked in higher education for approximately five years and with the state and federal government for nineteen years. Pat has a bachelor’s degree in Human Services Counseling from East Central University and a Master’s in Rehabilitation Education from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. Pat is pursuing a doctorate in Adult Education & Lifelong Learning at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. She is also enrolled at the College of the Muscogee Nation, pursuing a teaching certificate in the Mvskoke Language.
Pat has been married to her husband, Charles, for twenty-nine years and has two daughters. She and her husband live in Kiefer, Oklahoma. Pat is a huge football fan of the OU Sooners and Dallas Cowboys. Besides football, she enjoys bicycling, camping, and golfing.
James King graduated from Okemah High School in 1964. James completed his Bachelor’s Degree at East Central State University in 1968; his Master’s from the University of Minnesota in 1973, and a Doctorate of Education at Oklahoma State University in 1986.
While at the University of Minnesota in 1973, he developed a plan for a college for the Muscogee Creek Nation as an assignment in a graduate class in Two Year Community Colleges. This paper served as the foundational concept for the College of the Muscogee Nation.
James has always been committed to serving in the field of education, beginning his professional service with the Indian Division of the Oklahoma State Department of Education. Later, he was employed with the National Indian Education Association as a Teacher Training Program Assistant, and continued his professional career in the Administration of the Muskogee (Creek) Nation as the Head of Planning and later the Director of Human Development. James was also General Manager/Vice-President for a consulting firm that provided technical assistance to Indian tribes. While at OSU, he was a Research Assistant in international education, training education administrators and instructors from Jordan.
From 1986 until his retirement in 2003, James served as a Professor of Educational Research in the Graduate College at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. James earned a reputation among his peers and students as a dedicated teacher and professional; counseling and mentoring hundreds of Graduate Students, assisting them in their successful completion of Graduate Degrees. These same students are now making major contributions in the field of education throughout the nation.
While at Northeastern State Dr. King served on Committees for North Central Accreditation, NCATE, Tenure and Promotion, and the Annual Indian Symposium. He also co- chaired the College of Education Research Conference and was a member of the Graduate Council. Additional professional experiences include serving on the Trade and Commerce Board for the Muscogee Nation and Community Relations Board for Sequoyah High School.
James’ other professional achievements during his career include: Evaluator for teacher training programs, Native language projects and bilingual education activities. James also served as a delegate on Libraries and Information Services for the Oklahoma Governor’s Conference. He was a committee member on Native Americans and Reading for the International Reading Association and on the Human Relations Commission for the OEA. The State House of Representatives recognized him for his work on the Minority Needs Assessment Committee, organized to increase the number of minority teachers in Oklahoma schools.
Community service activities James participated in include: Okfuskee County Community Action Program Board, volunteer coach for the Okemah Little League, Creek Nation Olympics, Oklahoma Advisory Council for Indian Education, and President of QuESTT Inc. (a community based agency serving disadvantaged youth). For his work with the community, James received a Distinguished Leadership Recognition Award from the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and was inducted into the Okemah Hall of Fame and received the Living Legend recognition from the Muscogee Nation.
Dr. King facilitated the development of the beginning phase for the CMN campus building program; initiated implementation of the college systems; and served as chair for CMN accreditation. James’ work at the tribal college began by serving as the first president of the College of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and currently continues in his current positions as Regents Director of Institutional Effectiveness and Accreditation Liaison Officer.
Kathy McCormack is the Admissions Officer for Mvskoke Etvlwv Nakcokv Mvhakv Svhvlwecvt (College of the Muscogee Nation). She moved back home to Okmulgee to serve Mvskoke people. She has a strong belief in the power of education to positively impact lives and future generations. She often shares her experience in her own academic struggle, and how education positively impacted her life. By sharing her story, she becomes an example and mentor for students, inspiring them to not give up on their education.
Mrs. McCormack holds an Associate in Applied Science, in Computer Information Systems, and Enterprise Development with Honors from Oklahoma State University (Okmulgee, Ok), a Bachelor and Master of Science in Business Administration from Southern Nazarene University (Tulsa, Ok). Kathy was inducted into Delta Mu Delta honor society. She continues to be a lifelong learner with multiple professional development activities. Mrs. McCormack attends national conferences and workshops. She is an active member of the National and Regional Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers.
Kathy has dedicated nearly twenty years to the field of education; 13 of which have been with CMN. She believes in providing great customer service and utilizes the CMN core values Vrakkueckv (respect), Fvtcetv (integrity), and Eyasetv (humility) while helping others navigate complex processes. Prior to coming to CMN, she served as a Process Engineer helping companies redesign information systems, which allowed her to be an active participant at CMN in the implementation of student information systems in an ever-evolving digital age. Mrs. McCormack has worked diligently to improve processes and remove barriers to enrollment.
Kathy’s education and work experience have provided her with opportunities to serve on the Executive Leadership team. Mrs. McCormack is active on many committees at the college, including Achieve the Dream. She chaired criterion two of the accreditation committee for the Higher Learning Commission and is currently participating in En Nenne Hecetv (strategic planning) for our tribal college.
Mrs. McCormack is a Mvskoke citizen, a proud descendant from the Cox family bloodline, and a member of the Wotkvlke (raccoon clan). She resides in Okmulgee, Oklahoma on our reservation lands.
Cheryl Najera is a citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. She has been with the College of the Muscogee Nation for eight and half years and currently serves as the Program Coordinator, Advisor, and Instructor for the Criminal Justice Program. She holds a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Northeastern State University (NSU) and a Master of Legal Studies degree in Indigenous Peoples Law from the University of Oklahoma (OU), College of Law. Cheryl is currently a doctoral student at Oklahoma State University working on a Doctor of Forensic Science.
Cheryl has spent over 20 years working in Indian Country both for the Muscogee Creek Nation and the Choctaw Nation. During this time, she has worked with indigenous youth and young adults. Cheryl founded the ACJA-LAE chapter of the criminal justice student organization Nu Omega Lambda Omicron (NOLO), is a member of the American Society of Criminology (ASC), the American Criminal Justice Association (ACJA-LAE), and the Alpha Phi Sigma Theta Mu National Criminal Justice Honor Society.
In Cheryl’s spare time, she is a photographer with several award-winning pieces. Cheryl’s photo “We see you” #MMIW recently won the 2021 Thunder Indigifest Photography category for advocacy in the Faculty/Staff Tribal College category and her 2022 submission “Spirit Sees Red” won in the Faculty/Staff audience choice category. Her photography focuses on Indigenous people and strives to bring awareness to the National Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and People epidemic.
Cheryl’s time at the College of Muscogee Nation has been spent investing in the future of the students. She has a genuine passion for her field of study in Criminal Justice and a love for the students. Cheryl believes in equipping her students with knowledge and experience to further their futures and make a difference within the community and our tribal nation.
Levi Payne is the Lead Security Officer for the College of the Muscogee Nation, with 11 ½ years of service to the campus and 15 + total years in the Security industry. His hometown is Okmulgee, Oklahoma. Levi has a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice, a certificate in Emergency Management from Northeastern State University, a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success, and local business owner.
His work in Campus Security includes Chair of the CMN Campus Safety Committee, development of policy and procedures for Security Staff, maintaining campus safety and compliance, certified CPR, First Aid, AED Instructor, QPR (Suicide Prevention) Instructor, Bystander Intervention Trainer, ALICE Instructor, and currently working to achieve IACLEA (International Association of Campus Law Enforcement and Administrators) accreditation for CMN Security.
Currently, Levi lives in Boynton, Oklahoma. He enjoys spending time with his kids, family and friends, serving in ministry, fishing, farming, learning new things, fitness, and sharing knowledge with others.
Dr. Monte Randall is Muscogee (Creek) from the Talladega Tribal Town and Deer Clan. He is a veteran of the United States Navy and the Oklahoma Army National Guard. Monte is a graduate of Haskell Indian Nations University, the University of Oklahoma, and Oral Roberts University, where he received a doctorate in educational leadership. He resides in Glenpool, OK, with his wife Lauren and three children.
Dr. Randall’s research interest focuses on Native American culture, problem-solving abilities, and leadership. His dissertation correlated the significance of cultural learning in overcoming the impacts of historical trauma of Native American students. Dr. Randall is the fifth President at the College of the Muscogee Nation (CMN). He has worked extensively at CMN as the Dean of Academic Affairs, Dean of Student Affairs, Tribal Services Instructor, and Research Specialist. While at CMN, Dr. Randall developed the federal financial aid policies, Office of Student Affairs, academic assessment plan, and contributed to CMN’s accreditation with the Higher Learning Commission.
Dr. Monte Randall is an Aspen Institute and Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Fellow, and contributor to the Tribal College Journal. He volunteers as a community leader with Glenpool Public Schools, Okmulgee Chamber of Commerce, and the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. Dr. Randall regularly presents topics relating to Native American education, culture, and leadership within the community.
Cultural Background
Education
Work Background
Academic Research Background
Professional Research Background
Other Professional Facts
2013-2022- CMN AISES Chapter Advisor
Personal Facts
Other Affiliated Community Service Organizations:
Hesci cehocifkvt Ronnie Sands. I was born in Okemah. My dad was full blood Mvskoke, and my mom was half Mvskoke and half Zsa La Gi. We lived on our family land in Castle, Oklahoma. I attended school in Castle elementary from first grade through the eighth playing basketball in the fourth grade through the eighth.
I graduated eighth grade with honors and transferred to Okemah High School. We had three options upon graduation Mason, Boley and Okemah. Lot of my family went to Mason. Boley asked my dad to allow me to go to school there because they had a good basketball program. But my dad had taken me to a football game when I was about the fourth or fifth grade and it really set into my mind with great interest. Therefore, I put my transfer into Okemah Schools to follow a dream.
I made a lot of new friends in Jr. High and High School and played a lot of football along with my lifelong passion of baseball and basketball which I became to enjoy greatly form my younger years. These activities enabled me to become interactive with new people from different backgrounds and different geographical areas. I have a lot of memorable moments and making new friends.
During my senior year, I had not made any thoughts as to any future I had beyond high school. As it turned out a family friend a former Okemah High graduate was on campus doing a recruitment for East Central University of Ada. He had visited me about going to college and furthering my education. I had some outstanding teachers from my first grade to 12th grade years and it didn’t take me long to vision my future.
I knew in my heart and soul I wanted to be able to help young people and due to some great coaches with teaching skills gave me a heartfelt guideline to become someone to help coach young people. So, I was given approval for admission into East Central University (ECU). It was a challenge my first year because I had become a husband and we were expecting our first child.
My first semester was difficult because I did not a place to stay on ECU campus which meant I had to commute during most of my first semester. I found a small two room house in which me and my family lived until I could get a residential married couple home on the campus. She was pregnant at the time and that gave us more of a challenge to be able to get all my homework done and provide for my family.
I eventually got into an apartment in the married student housing on the ECU campus which made it easier being a student. During all these semesters, I learned to balance many things in my life. I had made God first in my life years earlier when I was a kid with my family being next, school and my goals was third. I never left out my love for sports out of my life. I think it was my therapy because I met lots of good people and made many good friends. It taught me many things about Fvtcetv which is honesty, fairness, and accountability. It is during this time I learned Eyasketv which is humility, being concerned with the well-being of others and embrace equality.
My Mecvlke, responsibility became apparent through my dedication to my family values with loyalty and becoming a student to higher learning in diligence and reliability. Throughout my life I have become very appreciative of everyone that has taught me in the classroom through their care and leadership. I have never forgotten their names and how they have impacted me. It saddens every time I hear of one of them passing. But I think of all those lives they touched throughout their careers as they have impacted mine.
As I graduated and had already signed a contract to become an educator at a small school, I reflected on all these things while continuing to grow as a person and in family which included two daughters and eventually a son. It was during this time when my grandparents had passed away and all those during their era was very small in population, a generation gone, and my parents now becoming the elders of my generation. I become mindful and thoughtful of all of them through their knowledge and the things they had passed to me to pass down to my children through Hoporenkv which is knowledge from their learning and experiences.
I eventually had to change my career to work in a factory to give my family a better security and life through a higher paying job. I felt my responsibility was to make sure they had a better chance to get an education in a better school with a better life to prepare them for higher education opportunities. I worked diligently and I felt like it paid off as all three of my children went to higher education institutions and graduated with a degree. One thing I envisioned for them was not to grow up in poverty as I did. It made me proud of each one had goals and have made it successful, but they continue to grow and maintain good working habits with learning as a guide.
It is at this point an old familiar friend shows up in my life and suggest coming to teach at the new and upcoming Tribal College and with the approval of our leadership I was accepted as an adjunct Math instructor. It was during this time I learned a lot about my Mvskoke background which I had not been around for years because of my new beginnings in life, and I learned about Vrakkueckv which is respect. Respect all the things that our tribe had to endure throughout history and what my family ancestors seen during their lifetime.
I was hired a full-time math instructor in July of 2008, and I have learned so much more about our Mvskoke Nation and what it means to Mvskoke from the early days in the Southeast States of Alabama, Georgia, and parts of nearby states. We had to settle here, and we made the most of it through the vision of our leaders and elders. This journey has been a tremendous come true dream. The College of the Muscogee Nation is an institution of learning which would help our Native people. With the respect to other Nations and our Euro-American families, we would become a Tribal School open to all people, one which I am proud to say I am a part.
In conclusion, I had to complete my education by entering the Graduate Program and with the grace of God and many people pushing me and helping me I completed my Master’s in Education in Teaching and soon afterwards I have completed 18 hours of Graduate courses in Master of Mathematics. My journey has completed my dreams of helping my Mvskoke Native people as well as other Nations and cultures. Learning all I could from each of them and with pride I teach what I have learned from those who helped me. Not only in education, but the culture and what it takes to succeed in life.
Mvto to everyone that has been part of my life and on my path toward my destination. Especially the College of the Muscogee Nation, its administration and Board members and Tribal Leaders as well as all my colleagues.
Katie Sanford has been a security officer with the College of the Muscogee Nation for 6 ½ years. She is a College of the Muscogee Nation alumni and has an associate degree in Police Science. Katie is CPR certified, is an Alice instructor and has a CLEET armed certification to be armed security.
Mekko Tyner is Muscogee (Creek), Shawnee, and Seneca and currently serves as the Dean of Academic Affairs at the College of the Muscogee Nation (CMN). Dean Tyner has served in various capacities including Registrar and Instructor at CMN for over 14 years. Along with his duties as the Dean, he chairs the Assessment Academy Team and Curriculum Committee. Mekko serves on the HLC Accreditation Committee, CMN Cultural Community Garden Committee, and as Project Director for two NIFA grants. Mr. Tyner enjoys teaching and learning about his tribal heritage, especially corn.
Mekko has obtained a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Haskell Indian Nations University and later received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Kansas. He earned a Certificate in Mvskoke Language Studies from CMN. Mr. Tyner’s research interest includes tribal ecological knowledge, sustainable food sources within tribal communities, and assessment of tribal colleges. Dean Tyner’s publications include articles in the Tribal College Journal.
Mekko and his wife, Dawn, have six children and reside in Kiefer, Oklahoma.
Krystal Wind is the Dean of Student Affairs at the College of the Muscogee Nation (CMN) and has served in her role for eight years. Ms. Wind resides in Morris, OK with her daughter, is a citizen of the Muscogee Nation, Thloptholocco Tribal Town, and is Nokosvlke (bear clan). She graduated from CMN before continuing her education at the University of Oklahoma earning a Bachelor of Arts in Human Relations and then a Master of Arts in Administrative Leadership. Ms. Wind is a member of the Morris Johnson O’Malley Committee, Okmulgee Chamber of Commerce, and Oklahoma’s Council on Student Affairs and the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators.
Colton Wood is an English Professor at the College of the Muscogee Nation working to improve student writing with various teaching methods. He focuses on student engagement and flexibility to improve student participation. Colton Wood is currently working on his dissertation focusing on Indigenous student success at predominantly white universities. He cosponsors the tribal leadership circle and is the secretary of the faculty council. Colton is finishing his doctorate in educational leadership at Southern Nazarene University.
Matthew Yates currently serves as the Tribal Services Coordinator at the College of the Muscogee Nation. Mr. Yates’s focus is on producing exemplary curricula by instilling Mvskoke cultural values into the academic disciplines of business, leadership, and organizational behavior. Mr. Yates acts as the academic advisor for the Tribal Services program, serves as president of the faculty council, co-sponsors the Tribal Leadership Circle student organization, and serves as a faculty advisor and certified leadership course instructor for Phi Theta Kappa international honor society. He received his master’s in Business Administration from Grand Canyon University and is a member of Delta Mu Delta international business honor society and Alpha Chi national college honor society. Mr. Yates continues his doctoral studies at Oklahoma Wesleyan University.
