TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. and Deputy Chief Bryan Warner on June 5 signed an employee policy creating the Workforce Development Program, designed to reward employees who have achieved college degrees during the past five years and in the future to incentivize professional growth.
The Workforce Development Program provides financial incentives to Cherokee Nation government employees to obtain relevant college degrees to foster a skilled and motivated workforce. Cherokee Nation’s other entities, including Cherokee Nation Businesses, will implement similar policies. Those entities will individually announce their policies to their respective workforces at a later date.
“Our employees are the heart of the Cherokee Nation, and this policy demonstrates our dedication to their professional advancement,” Chief Hoskin said. “By encouraging continuous learning and offering meaningful financial support, we are investing in the future of our workforce and reinforcing our position as a leading employer across the country.”
Chief Hoskin and Deputy Chief Warner worked with the tribe’s Finance and Human Resources departments to make the awards retroactive to October 1, 2019, the tribe’s first fiscal year under the Hoskin / Warner administration.
“Deputy Chief Warner and I have encouraged the workforce to pursue higher degrees, so it seems fitting that we go back a reasonable period of time and reward workers who did so and remain employed by the tribe in some capacity,” said Chief Hoskin. “We will maintain the policy going forward to further encourage our employees to seek college degrees.”
The Workforce Development Program allows tribal departments to offer lump-sum payments to employees who attain higher education degrees that enhance their qualifications and align with the needs of the Nation. Incentives range from $2,000 for associate degrees to $5,000 for doctoral degrees, with corresponding service-agreement commitments.
The incentive program is in addition to tuition assistance programs offered by Cherokee Nation and its entities.
Eligibility for the program includes full-time employees with at least one year of service who complete relevant, accredited degree or certification programs. Employees must meet performance standards. All levels of higher education earned within the past five years are also eligible for financial incentives under the policy.
“This new program underscores our belief that investing in our employees builds stronger families, stronger communities, and a stronger Cherokee Nation,” Deputy Chief Warner said. “We want every member of our workforce to have the opportunities and resources they need to excel. For someone who might have been considering whether to invest their time and effort into getting some new career-related education, we hope this will help ease the financial burden associated with choosing that path.”
The new Workforce Development Program complements a series of employee-focused programs introduced under the leadership of Chief Hoskin and Deputy Chief Warner since 2019.
In 2021, Chief Hoskin signed an executive order creating a compensation implementation group and putting the Cherokee Nation on a path to a $15 minimum wage, nearly twice the level of the state of Oklahoma’s minimum wage. The executive order also called for a comprehensive wage study of government employees, which ultimately invested $10.6 million to increase salaries for more than 80% of government and health care employees.
Among other recent initiatives offered by the tribe, employees are encouraged to take two paid hours of mental wellness leave per month and are entitled to paid family leave for births, adoption, or foster placement of a child in the home. The tribe also introduced Flexible Spending Accounts seeded with $2,000 per child to all eligible tribal government employees.
Cherokee Nation’s workforce initiatives have contributed to Cherokee Nation being recognized as one of Forbes’ 2025 America’s Best Large Employers, and being recognized twice in recent years as among Oklahoma’s best employers.
The Cherokee Nation’s government arm employes nearly 5,800. Cherokee Nation’s employment worldwide, including those employed by its business entities, exceed 14,000.