Chris Wesberry named Executive Director of the Native American Institute
Chris Wesberry was recently named Executive Director of the newly-formed Native American Institute at Southeastern Oklahoma State University.
The Institute will include the Master of Science in Native American Leadership, the minor in Native American Studies, Choctaw language minor and the Native American Center for Student Success. The academic programs will be hosted by the Department of Behavioral Sciences, which will provide faculty oversight of curriculum and all related activities.
The Institute will also include the formalization of an advisory council with tribal participation.
“Southeastern has been recognized nationally for its Native American programs and Chris has obviously played a big role in that,’’ said Southeastern president Sean Burrage. “Under his leadership, the Institute will serve to coordinate all of our efforts in this area. We also hope to grow and expand our Native American programs in the future and the Institute is a key component.’’
Wesberry has been employed at Southeastern since October of 2005. He has served as an Academic Advisor to Native American students, the Director for the Native American Center for Student Success, and Co-Director of the Master of Science in Native American Leadership (MSNAL).
In these positions, he has served the Native American community in areas of academic advising, instructor, grant writer/principal investigator, and project director for federal grants in excess of $4 million. These grants have consistently focused on Native American student retention and teacher development.
He has also taught several courses at the University.
Wesberry earned a Bachelor of Science, Master in Secondary Education, and Master in School Counseling at East Central University. He is currently in the dissertation phase of a Doctorate in Higher Education Leadership.
He has 10 years of experience working for the Chickasaw Nation, seven of which were in Higher Education programming. Wesberry and his wife Stacy (2013 graduate of Southeastern) have a daughter and son, both of whom graduated from Southeastern. Caley Wesberry (’13) also graduated from Michigan State University with a Master Degree in Public Health, while Leslie Wesberry (’13) will be in his third year of law school at the University of Oklahoma this coming May.