Lt. Governor Hershel Gorham
Since January 2024, I have had the honor of serving as Lt. Governor of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes. In addition, I have served as General Counsel since 2018, overseeing the Office of Tribal Attorney and the Department of Justice, and as chief legal advisor to the Executive Office.
As an Arapaho elder and veteran, I proudly received an honorable discharge from the U.S. military with the rank of Captain after serving in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Together with Governor Wassana and the late Lt. Governor Gib Miles, we have elevated our Tribe to new heights over the past eight years:
· Clean financial audits and the strongest financial footing in decades
· Expanded healthcare access with a new IHS facility in El Reno and mobile medical units for rural communities
· A new emergency youth shelter to protect and care for our children
· Two new casinos creating jobs, revenue, and economic stability.
· Completed Phase II of the Judicial Center, linking Social Services with the Tribal judicial system to provide stronger, more complete services.
· Created an Office of Development and Advancement to procure donations for our nonprofit arm of the Tribe for the benefit of education, health and social service.
On the legal front, my team has successfully placed several of our Tribes’ fee lands into trust status — a critical step for long-term sovereignty and economic growth. And through the Cheyenne and Arapaho Community Development Corporation (CACDC), we secured $2.5 million in new funding from the U.S. Treasury to strengthen and expand community programs.
The Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes have tremendous momentum and unlimited potential. Let’s not interrupt our success. Governor Wassana and I ask for your continued support so we can keep building a stronger, more prosperous future for all.
