Heard it on the River: Madam Chief a first for Choctaws

4 October 2011

By Rudi Schiffer

Phyllis Anderson is a busy lady but finds time for three children, is stepmother to four more and grandmother to two. Now she has added to her workload and was inaugurated Tuesday as the first female chief of the proud Mississippi Band of Choctaws…an energetic and ambitious tribe that has carved out a thriving complex in the heart of the piney-hardwood forests of the southeast central region of the Magnolia State.

She took her oath before the Tribal Council in a closed forum and later smiled and waved through a celebration parade on Highway 16 that runs through the middle of the reservation splitting its two large casinos, SilverStar and Golden Moon, where she later made her first address to the tribe and assembled guests.

She ran on a platform to create harmony in the government and to lay a strong foundation for the next generation of Choctaws. She has the experience to accomplish her objectives having served as the councilwoman from the Red Water community near Carthage for two terms. She was also the secretary-treasurer as well as chair of numerous committees.

Her variety of roles gave her experience on a number of governing boards and committees of the multi-million dollar enterprises the Tribe has embarked on such as manufacturing, government contracting, gaming and hospitality industries. Chief Anderson seeks to improve the economic position of the Choctaw people and focus on job recovery for them as well as improving health care and educational opportunities.

Chief Anderson, 50, defeated Chief Beasley Denson by a slim margin of 300 votes and said she was elected because tribal members wanted change and to attract more players to the Resort that encompasses the beautiful Dancing Rabbit Golf Club, two casino-hotels, with a third, Bok Homa recently opened, and the Geyser Falls Water Theme Park. Denson sought harmony with the incoming administration and called on tribal members to provide “full cooperation and support” for the new chief.