Sovereignty Speaks #10
Gaming and Hospitality
Honorable D. Scott Colbert
Gaming Commissioner, The Chickasaw Nation
Honorable D. Scott Colbert began his career with the Chickasaw Nation as Council Person-at-Large while he was a law student at Oklahoma City University in 1982. At the time, Honorable Overton James was Governor of the Chickasaw Nation and the Honorable Bill Anoatubby was serving as Lt. Governor. The council headquarters was the Chickasaw Motor Inn, Sulphur, Oklahoma. In fact, at the time, the entirety of the Nation’s economic reach was the Chickasaw Motor Inn, Sulphur, Oklahoma.
As the Chickasaw Nation expanded, Judge Colbert remained a dedicated Chickasaw citizen and he served his tribe in a variety of ways. He held several positions within the Chickasaw Nation. He served on the Chickasaw Tribal Counsel and then later served as Supreme Court Justice for the Chickasaw Nation. He was also a BIA Magistrate for the Chickasaw Nation before he went on to serve as a member of the Chickasaw Tribal Legislature. He also was a private attorney for 30 years and he served as the Municipal Court Judge in Sulphur, Oklahoma for 29 years. In 2013, Judge Colbert was named the Gaming Commissioner for the Chickasaw Nation.
