Sovereignty Speaks #16
Tribal Policy as an Exercise of Sovereignty
Mr. James R. Floyd, FACHE
Principal Chief, Muscogee (Creek) Nation
James Floyd is the chief executive of the fourth largest federally recognized tribe in the United States, located in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. Muscogee (Creek) Nation covers eleven counties in eastern Oklahoma with over 82,500 members worldwide. Floyd oversees departments of: Housing, Health (3 hospitals, 5 clinics) Social Services, Education, Training, Economic Development, Law Enforcement, Language, Tourism, Cultural, Historic Preservation, Media/Public Affairs, Community Development, Environmental, Veterans Services, and Roads. Chief Floyd coordinates with traditional church and ceremonial ground leaders (Mekkos), Tribal communities, Tribal Legislative and Judicial branches, as well as with other tribal, city, state and federal governments.
Chief Floyd’s career spans more than 35 years of public service: 28 years of federal service, 23 years in the Senior Executive Service. He served as Director of the Eastern Oklahoma VA in Muskogee; the VA Heartland Network (VISN 15) in Kansas City, Missouri, where he oversaw nine hospitals and 47 clinics in six states with an annual budget of more than $2 billion and 9,500 employees; the VA Salt Lake City Health Care System where he led the development of many innovative commercial businesses on federal property, including clinics, office buildings, a restaurant, and a credit union; the VA Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he coordinated federal health support for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games; and the Portland Area Indian Health Service in Portland, Oregon where he served as Area Director. In 2015 he was awarded the American College of Healthcare Executives’ Regent’s Award (lifetime achievement) for demonstrating “leadership ability…and innovative and creative management.”
Floyd began his professional career with Muscogee (Creek) Nation in Environmental Services. He was Manager of Health Services, then Director of Community Services where he implemented the Tribe’s first food distribution, social services, burial assistance, and school clothing programs. Floyd managed the first Tribal-owned hospital in the US, and negotiated the transfer of the several clinics from IHS to Tribal management.
After graduating from Eufaula High School in 1970, Floyd earned an Associate Degree from Oklahoma State University. He graduated with honors with a Bachelor of Science in Health Care Administration from Northeastern State University, and earned a Masters of Public Administration/Health Administration from Portland State University. He completed post-graduate training at the University of North Carolina and at the Brookings Institute. Floyd became a Fellow in the American College of Health Executives in 2009.
He is Wind Clan, of Koweta Tribal Town; his Ceremonial Ground is Tvlahasse Wvkokaye.