TAHLEQUAH, Okla. — Vinita resident and Cherokee Nation citizen Kendra McGeady was officially sworn into office by the Council of the Cherokee Nation Monday to fill the vacant District 11 seat.
District 11 includes Craig County as well as northern Mayes and Nowata Counties.
“Deputy Chief Bryan Warner and I look forward to working alongside Councilwoman McGeady as she steps into this important of serving Cherokee citizens in and around Craig, Mayes and Nowata Counties,” said Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. “Her history of public service is admirable and we know she will be fully committed to her constituents as she begins her new role on the Council of the Cherokee Nation.”
McGeady will complete the remainder of former District 11 Councilwoman Victoria Vazquez’ term ending August 14, 2025. Vazquez, who previously served as the Council’s Deputy Speaker, officially resigned August 29.
“I’m very excited about this position. First of all, I want to thank Chief Hoskin, Deputy Chief Warner and Victoria Vazquez for their support and I appreciate the Council for their confidence,” McGeady said. “I am most excited about representing the citizens of District 11 and working hard to continue the progress the Cherokee Nation has begun with housing, the new addiction treatment center for adults, and our wonderful cultural preservation. I am just looking forward to all of it.”
McGeady has served as the director of transit for Pelivan Transit and the Northeast Oklahoma Tribal Transit Consortium and former director of planning and development for Home of Hope in Vinita.
Under the Cherokee Nation Constitution, vacancies on the Council less than a year prior to the end of a term require that the Council appoint a new member to complete the term.
In related action, the Council also chose District 14 Councilor Kevin Easley as Deputy Speaker of the Council to fill the officer vacancy created by Deputy Speaker Vazquez’ resignation in August.
Easley, an attorney who attended law school at the University of Oklahoma, began his first term in office on the Council of the Cherokee Nation in 2023.