The Cherokee people elected Chadwick "Corntassel" Smith as Principal Chief in 1999. Smith has brought unprecedented growth in the Cherokee Nation budgets, bringing in more money from both federal agencies and tribal enterprises. The Cherokee Nation now employs more Cherokees than ever, while providing more services to its citizens than ever before. Principal Chief Smith has led the Cherokee Nation out of a time of turmoil, unrest and controversy into an era of cooperation and achievement. Once again, Cherokee people value the community spirit of ga-du-gi, coming together to work for the greater good, because of his leadership. Principal Chief Smith looks to communities for leadership and has implemented programs and policies that allow for more direct input from community members and less bureaucracy. Principal Chief Smith has a rich family history of service to the Cherokee people. He is the great-grandson of Redbird Smith, a Cherokee patriot who fought against allotment of Cherokee lands at the time of the Dawes rolls. His grandmother, Rachel Quinton, was a life-long advocate for the Cherokee people. His father, the late Nelson Smith, was a respected industrial manager and his mother, Pauline Smith, still lives in Colcord. Smith’s late uncle, William Lee Smith, led the Keetoowah Society at the Stokes Stomp Grounds since the 50s. Smith’s wife, Bobbie Gail, is a full-blood, bi-lingual Cherokee from the Rocky Mountain community in Adair County. Bobbie Gail was Miss Cherokee in 1975, and has taken a leadership role in culture and language preservation. Smith holds a bachelor's degree in education from the University of Georgia; master's degree in public administration from the University of Wisconsin and a Juris Doctorate, Law, from the University of Tulsa. Prior to his service as Principal Chief, Smith taught Indian law at Dartmouth College, Northeastern State University and Rogers State University, worked as a Cherokee Nation prosecutor and as an administrator of Cherokee Nation Tax Commission. Smith has also worked as a prosecutor in Creek County, a public defender in Tulsa County and operated his own law practice. Commitment Message at the 1999 Inauguration of Chad "Corntassel" Smith as Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation | 
