Osage Nation Procurement Director Clair Wood Selected for Leadership Oklahoma

Leadership Oklahoma's Class 35 includes Osage Nation Procurement Director Clair Wood. Carefully selected from applicants throughout the state, “Leadership Oklahoma is very proud of the 51 people chosen for this year's program," said Marion Paden, President and CEO, Leadership Oklahoma. "Class 35 is a diverse group of outstanding leaders with a broad range of experience and interests who will enhance the knowledge and understanding of the critical issues impacting the state.  Leadership Oklahoma is dedicated to recruiting, educating and connecting caring and committed Oklahomans and providing them with the information and network to connect, collaborate and create lasting positive change in Oklahoma.”

Over the next ten months, Class 35 members will meet monthly to visit nine communities; Seminole, Lawton/Fort Sill, McAlester, Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Sulphur, Ponca City, Guymon and Norman to discuss the many social, environmental and economic complexities of our state in an effort to stimulate inquiry, analysis and solutions for the public good.

Find a full list of Class 35 members and their employers here. 

Clair Wood started at Osage Nation in 2011 as a Compliance Officer/Investigative Agent for the Osage Nation Gaming Commission. Upon graduating with her Master’s in Business Administration in 2013, she became the Director of Child Care. In January of 2018, she attended law school at the University of Tulsa College of Law and graduated in May of 2020 receiving her Juris Doctor. She worked as a Law Clerk for Rodolf & Todd in Tulsa from 2019 until February 2021. She passed the Oklahoma Bar in February of 2021 and returned to the Osage Nation in March of 2021 as the Procurement Director.

During her eight years of employment at Osage Nation, she has served the community in various ways. As the Director of Child Care, Clair started an Osage Summer Camp, which provided 60 children with childcare that otherwise had no place to go. During the school year, she taught at the Pawhuska Elementary the "Too Good for Drugs and Violence" curriculum, which teaches students how to navigate the challenges of social and academic pressures and effectively resolve conflicts. Clair also assisted in creating the Osage Youth Council, which is a program for Osage adolescents between the ages of 14-18 to learn about the Osage government and sovereign immunity. For years, she planned and implemented an event called the Week of the Young Child, which served over 500 children throughout the Reservation. Additionally, she coordinated the Osage Nation Christmas Extravaganza, a family event that provided family activities and books for children.

Leadership Oklahoma is a statewide organization founded in 1986 to create a network of leaders whose increased awareness and commitment to service will energize Oklahomans to shape the state's future.  Approximately 1,700 members from 190 Oklahoma communities have completed the leadership program.