Choctaw tribal member Kelbie Kennedy sworn in as first-ever National Tribal Affairs Advocate

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has appointed a Choctaw tribal member as the first National Tribal Affairs Advocate.

Kelbie Kennedy was sworn in on October 11 and was formally announced as the first tribal political appointee in FEMA history on October 12. Kennedy was sworn in on a Choctaw bible, with her mother, Brenda Strange, proudly looking on.

In this role, Kennedy will advise the agency and its Administrator on tribal affairs while working to ensure that FEMA lives up to its treaty and trust responsibilities to tribal nations.

Kennedy’s appointment is a result of FEMA’s history-making national strategy addressing its responsibilities when preparing for and responding to disasters on tribal lands.

The “2022-2026 FEMA National Tribal Strategy” provides FEMA, an agency of the Department of Homeland Security, with a roadmap to help Native communities deal with disasters, including situations created by climate change.

“Tribal Nations and communities deserve to have their voices heard, especially when it comes to preparing for, responding to, and recovering from disasters,” FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said in a prepared statement. “Ms. Kennedy has spent her career working on issues related to tribal emergency management and resilience, homeland security, and public safety. FEMA and the Biden-Harris Administration will benefit greatly from her compassion and competence.”

Criswell went on to affirm her confidence in appointing Kennedy to this role.

“I am confident that Ms. Kennedy will be a key advocate for Indian Country given her extensive experience representing their interests and priorities, as well as her lived experience as a citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma,” Criswell said.

Before joining FEMA, Kennedy worked as the policy manager for national security and community safety initiatives for the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI).

At NCAI, she worked on national policy issues surrounding tribal emergency management and resilience, tribal homeland security, tribal border issues, violence against American Indian and Alaska Native women, public safety and justice, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and international Indigenous rights.

Kennedy has long been a champion for not only Choctaws but Indigenous people worldwide.

She also played a pivotal role in the effort to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act earlier this year, restoring tribal nations’ criminal jurisdiction over certain crimes.

“I am honored to be the first tribal political appointee in FEMA history and will work hard to ensure that Tribal Nations and tribal sovereignty are at the forefront of our efforts,” Kennedy said in a statement. “Growing up on my tribal nation’s reservation in Southeastern Oklahoma, I learned firsthand that tribal nations are the first—and many times the only—line of defense when disaster strikes Indian Country. When tribal nations have the necessary resources and support they need, the entire community is better prepared and able to respond to disasters.”

Gary Batton, Chief of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, praised Kennedy and her appointment to FEMA.

“Kelbie’s commitment to Indian Country and all tribal nations is next to none. Over the course of her illustrious career, she has helped ensure that tribal nations have a seat at the table, and her appointment to serve as the first National Tribal Affairs Advocate is a continuation of that noble effort,” Batton said. “We are so proud of everything Kelbie has done and will continue to do on behalf of Indian Country, and we look forward to seeing her continued efforts to make sure that Indian Country is ready when disaster strikes.”

Kennedy was born and raised on the Reservation Lands the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. She received her Juris Doctor and certificate in American Indian Law from the University of Oklahoma, College of Law.

For more information on FEMA’s tribal affairs and the 2022-2026 FEMA National Tribal Strategy, visit fema.gov/about/organization/tribes.