Dr. Lahoma (Hicks) Schultz is seeking the office of Principal Chief of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. She made the decision to do so back in late 2022.
Her decision to run for office was based on grassroots efforts by Muscogee citizens. Two different groups visited with her and asked her to campaign to become the next Principal Chief of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation.
Schultz’s vision is to bring the Nation to the forefront in economic sustainability, cultural revitalization, and provide expanded services to all citizens.
“I have many ideas that I want to pursue that will benefit our tribe and our citizens,” Schultz said. “These ideas are based on input from several Mvskoke citizens. Some of my plans will build upon unfinished projects of our Nation. These plans involve collaboration amongst the tourism, language, cultural preservation departments and a committee of our traditional leaders to develop a state-of-theart museum which will showcase our history, language, culture and art. The completed project will spur economic growth by way of tourism.”
Increasing services to Muscogee elders is also greatly needed.
“Many of our elders are faced with not having workable appliances, hot water heaters, heat and air units,” Schultz said. “They rely on the tribe to replace these things. Many times, the wait is lengthy and requires much back and forth between the elder and the Nation. I have a plan to develop a program that will assist them with those needs at low cost to the tribe and quicker service for the elders. My plan would include assisting our elders living inside and outside the reservation boundaries.”
Schultz also touted the historical support for education within the tribe.
“Education has always been important to our tribe, even before the removal of our ancestors from our original homelands,” Schultz said. “I appreciate the vision of Chief Tiger regarding the development of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Scholarship Foundation during his administration.” Schultz has served as the Chair of the Selection Committee for the Foundation since its inception in 2014. “The selection process is daunting, yet rewarding, as I have the privilege of reading about the outstanding accomplishments of the scholarship applicants.
Schultz plans to surround herself with the best legal minds available to assist the three branches of Muscogee government as they pursue equity, justice and continued protection of the tribe’s sovereign right to self-governance.
Dr. Schultz is a licensed psychologist and a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) with the states of Oklahoma and Arkansas. Dr. Schultz earned an A.A. degree from Bacone College in Muskogee. She earned both a B.S. and Master’s Degree at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, and went on to earn a Ph.D. from Oklahoma State University.
Prior to accepting her position with IHS, Dr. Schultz was the director of the Ponca Nation’s Behavioral Health department. In that capacity, she provided individual therapy, group therapy, couples therapy, substance abuse counseling, and psychological assessments exclusively for American Indian clients. She also provided training to young native and non-native people who wished to become counselors or psychologists.
Dr. Schultz has also served as a psychologist for the Veterans Administration, where she counseled American Indian soldiers returning from Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as Vietnam Veterans.
She and her husband, Bobby, have children and grandchildren.
