Special Guests
Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin, Jr
Deputy Principal Chief Bryan Warner
Deputy Principal Chief Bryan Warner
Deputy Principal Chief Bryan Warner
Deputy Principal Chief Bryan Warner
Deputy Principal Chief Bryan Warner
Keynote Speaker
Charlie Soap
Born March 25, 1945, in Stilwell, Oklahoma, Charlie Soap is a full-blood, bilingual Cherokee. He served in the United States Navy from l965-l969 and received an honorable discharge. He later earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education from Northeastern State University.
Mr. Soap has dedicated virtually his entire career to working to strengthen the many Cherokee communities in northeastern Oklahoma. Serving under three chiefs, he served as the community service group leader for the Cherokee Nation, overseeing a $100 million budget dedicated to public transit services, roads, bridges and infrastructure projects, environmental health services, self-help housing assistance, youth programs and natural disaster relief.
Due to his accomplishments and innovative approaches to community development in rural communities, Mr. Soap has received numerous awards including the Common Cause public service achievement award and two national certificates of merit from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Mr. Soap has lectured on community development at Cornell University, Arizona State University Law School, the University of Maryland, Tufts University, Indiana State University, the Mayo Clinic, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and numerous other settings.
Following his career with the tribe, Mr. Soap also worked with business education and political leaders to establish the Boys and Girls Club of Tahlequah and served as its founding director. Under Mr. Soap’s leadership, the club operated a comprehensive summer enrichment program and, working with Tahlequah Public Schools, developed the first after-school program in the school system. The collaboration between the Boys and Girls Club and the Tahlequah Public Schools has served as a national model. Mr. Soap served for seven years as the Oklahoma area director of the Christian Children's Fund.
Mr. Soap is the Producer/Director of the film, Cherokee Word for Water, which tells the story of the Bell waterline project, which he and his wife, Wilma Mankiller, led before their marriage of more than 30 years. He is a skilled photographer who is working on a book of photographs of indigenous people in the Amazon. Mr. Soap is a fancy war dancer, an avid golfer, fisherman and cyclist.
Now a tribal elder, Mr. Soap remains an active and authoritative voice on community development. In 2021, the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma enacted The Wilma P. Mankiller and Charlie Soap Water Act to ensure that everyone on the Cherokee Nation Reservation will be free of any barriers to accessing clean, safe water,” Chief Chuck Hoskin announced.
Last One Walking: The Life of Cherokee Community Leader Charlie Soap
You probably know the story of the late Wilma Mankiller, the first woman to serve as principal chief of the Cherokee Nation. You might not recognize the name of her husband, Charlie Soap, yet his role as a Native community organizer is no less significant. Combining memoir, history, and current affairs, Last One Walking charts for the first time the life and work of this influential Cherokee.
In telling this story, author and former journalist Greg Shaw gives voice to his sources. As a longtime colleague and friend of the family, he draws on his many travels and interviews with Soap and on previously unpublished writings, including a Soap family history penned by Mankiller, included here as the book’s prologue. Shaw offers a rich profile of Soap’s singular career—particularly as a champion of water rights.
In managing public infrastructure projects, housing assistance, and water development in the Cherokee Nation, Soap has exemplified ga-du-gi, the Cherokee word for community members working together for the collective good. Shaw portrays a dynamic partnership between Soap and Mankiller. Together they reignited community development for the Cherokee people by listening to everyone, including the poorest of the poor, and hearing their pleas for reliable water, a basic human need and a sacred element in Cherokee culture.
Charlie Soap’s name in Cherokee, Ohni ai (ᎣᏂ ᎠᎢ), translates as “the last one walking.” In the Cherokee wolf clan, this is the member who trails the rest of the pack to watch for danger and opportunity. The last one walking forms a bond of trust with the pack’s leader.
The Native American fight for land has been well chronicled, but the fight for water has not. Last One Walking helps to fill that void with a narrative that is also deeply moving, revealing on every page the spirit of ga-du-gi.
2025 Conference Presenters
Ian Adair
Matthew Anderson
Matthew Anderson
MS, CNP, ACNP Director of Leadership Development & Credentialing
Association of Fundraising Professionals
Ian Adair has spent a career building successful nonprofits. Ian is a three-time nonprofit CEO, TEDx speaker, and recognized expert in leadership, fundraising, and nonprofit management. Over his 25-plus-year career, he has raised tens of millions of dollars, managed regional and national programs, and presented at more than 20 conferences and events around the world. Ian is also a speaker, author, and advocate concerning mental health and wellness in the workplace and works with organizations around the country to improve employee engagement, recognition, and retention – with the goal of enhancing the employee experience. Ian is the Director of Leadership Development and Credentialing at the Association of Fundraising Professionals global office in Arlington, Virginia. AFP Global supports more than 28,000 members and 20 chapters around the world. Ian is currently leading AFP’s largest leadership development effort to date to support the next generation of fundraising leaders to fill the ever-growing leadership gap currently happening across the nonprofit sector
Matthew Anderson
Matthew Anderson
Matthew Anderson
Entrepreneurial Development Cultural Specialist, Cherokee Nation
Matthew is a Cherokee artist working in various mediums and teaches Cherokee foundational arts as well as artist entrepreneur business coaching at the Cherokee Arts Center. His work can be found throughout Cherokee Nation facilities across the Reservation and has art for sale in the Spider Gallery. He draws his inspiration from the beauty that surrounds us and has resided in the Cherokee Reservation for all but his first three years of life. Although his family had little choice when exiled here in 1838, they made the best of it and today he calls it "home".
Stephanie Bailey
Matthew Anderson
Stephanie Bailey
CPA, Core Business Advisors, PLLC
Stephanie Bailey, a seasoned financial leader, brings over a decade of comprehensive experience, specializing in tax consulting and CFO functions. Stephanie excels in guiding organizations through strategic growth initiatives, operational optimizations, and overseeing diverse financial portfolios. With a demonstrated track record in both for-profit and non-profit sectors, Stephanie has held key leadership roles as a CFO in various industries, as well as serving as Tax Director, leading a regional tax practice during her tenure at KPMG. Her experience spans across healthcare, education, retail, social services, and more, providing her with a deep understanding of the unique financial challenges and opportunities within each sector. Stephanie's multifaceted skill set, and strategic approach make her a valuable asset in providing tailored financial solutions to clients across diverse industries.
Abraham Bearpaw
Abraham Bearpaw
Stephanie Bailey
Founder, Walking In Balance
Abraham Bearpaw is an author, motivational speaker and creator of the Walking In Balance wellness program. Mr. Bearpaw is also a cultural activist and shares traditional teachings so that others can live fulfilled lives of wellness. In recovery for over 10 years, Abraham Bearpaw is a living example of the effectiveness of the Walking In Balance program. Through the Walking In Balance program, he has helped many individuals and families in their recovery and wellness journeys.
Noel Grayson
Abraham Bearpaw
Noel Grayson
JOM School Specialist & Cherokee National Treasure, Cherokee Nation
Noel Grayson and his brothers used to make bows and arrows as kids using sticks and chicken feathers. As he grew up, he dedicated himself to learning how to make these tools in the traditional Cherokee manner. What started off as a hobby, soon became his passion as he worked to perfect his craft. Noel was one of the youngest people to be recognized as a Cherokee National Treasure, a distinction given to Master Craftspeople who are carrying on and teaching traditional crafts of the Cherokee Nation.
Ryan Mackey
Abraham Bearpaw
Noel Grayson
Cherokee Language Master/Apprentice, Program Manager, Cherokee Nation
Ryan B. Mackey works for the Cherokee Nation as a Cherokee language teacher and the Cherokee Language Master Apprentice Program.
Like most language teachers, he started teaching with an emphasis in grammar. In time though, he began to learn about total language immersion. Total Physical Response was his original preference for immersion teaching. In Cherokee Nation’s Education Department, Mackey and team developed an employee language class that was to be a part of the new employee orientation process. As a part of every new Cherokee Nation employees’ orientation, they were required to take 40 hours, one entire week, of Cherokee Language Immersion.
Before working for the Cherokee Nation, Mackey was a Cherokee language teacher for our local community language classes as well as public schools and universities.
Troy Wayne Poteete
Troy Wayne Poteete
Troy Wayne Poteete
Executive Director, Trail of Tears Association
Troy Wayne Poteete represented Three Rivers District in the Cherokee Nation Tribal Council 1991-1999. He served as Ex. Director of the Arkansas Riverbed Authority, from 2000-2007, and as a Cherokee Nation Supreme Court Justice 2007-2017.
Poteete was a founding member of the Trail of Tears Association, organized in 1993. He served continually on the Trail of Tears Association Board of Directors for over twenty years before becoming Ex. Dir. of the organization in 2014.
Both a storyteller and lecturer on Cherokee history, Poteete tells tales drawing on a rich family history in the South of the Cherokee Nation. His lectures are informed by a lifetime of research and study, and over 25 years service in the Cherokee Nation government.
Troy Wayne graduated from Connors State College, Northeastern State University at Tahlequah, and earned a J.D. at the University of Tulsa College of Law. He maintains offices at Webbers Falls.
Cinda Rose
Troy Wayne Poteete
Troy Wayne Poteete
Founder, True Roots Cultural Arts Association
Cinda Rose is a Native of Fort Gibson Oklahoma and Cherokee citizen of Freedmen descent. She is the founder of True Roots Cultural Arts Association, serving young future leaders of the community. True Roots mission is learning and expressing our stories of honorable world leaders through song, poetry, and re-enactment in preserving their legacy of cultural accomplishments and heritage.
Professional interests include writing poetry, songwriting and performing as a local spoken word artist and recording artist. Cinda Rose has released two songs as a local recording artist, Magnetism released in 2023 and Superwoman which is dedicated to her late Mother Rose Gilford released in 2022.
Ron Sheehan
Troy Wayne Poteete
Adam Soltani
Sheehan Nonprofit Consulting
Dr. Rob Sheehan, is a Senior Lecturer at the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, College Park. He is also Principal of Sheehan Nonprofit Consulting where he provides consulting services in strategic planning, board development, and leadership & teamwork development for nonprofits.
Rob has more than thirty years of executive management experience, including eighteen years as the CEO of two different national nonprofits. He received his Ph.D. from The Ohio State University. He is author of the book, Mission Impact: Breakthrough Strategies for Nonprofits, which introduces a new innovation-based approach to strategic planning for nonprofit organizations.
Rob has been a lifelong volunteer for various nonprofits and is a Trustee Emeritus of LeaderShape, Inc., where he is Past Board Chair.
Adam Soltani
Charles Twist
Adam Soltani
Chief Programs Officer, Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits
Adam Soltani is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma, holding a Master’s in Human Relations with a graduate certificate in Organizational Diversity and Development. He also earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of Central Oklahoma.
Soltani served as the Executive Director of the Oklahoma Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR Oklahoma) from 2012 to 2025, leading the organization’s advocacy, civil rights, and interfaith initiatives. During his tenure, he was instrumental in expanding CAIR Oklahoma’s impact, particularly in community engagement, refugee support, and civil rights advocacy.
Beyond his leadership at CAIR Oklahoma, Soltani has been an active figure in Oklahoma’s interfaith and civic communities. He chaired the Oklahoma Conference of Churches’ Religions United Committee (2012–2022) and has served on multiple boards and committees dedicated to religious education, interfaith collaboration, and social justice.
Soltani has been a sought-after speaker at Oklahoma universities and community forums, addressing topics such as civic engagement, advocacy, and social justice. His written commentary has been featured in the Oklahoma Gazette, Tulsa World, and The Oklahoman, and he has provided expert analysis for local, national, and international media outlets.
His leadership and advocacy have earned him multiple recognitions, including the Oklahoma Human Rights Award, the Interfaith Leadership Award, and the ACLU of Oklahoma’s Civil Libertarian of the Year Award. He has also been named among Oklahoma’s Most Influential Young Professionals, Most Admired CEOs, and top Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Leaders. In 2024, The Journal Record featured him in its Power List for Nonprofit Leaders.
Soltani previously served as an Adjunct Instructor of Islamic Studies at Oklahoma State University, where he taught courses on world religions, Islam, and social justice until Spring 2025.
Originally from Kansas, Adam has called Oklahoma home for more than two decades and resides in Oklahoma City with his wife and two sons.
Charles Twist
Charles Twist
Charles Twist
Spiritual Advisor
Charles’s development began through education, cultural activity, working in the construction industry, pastoring, coaching, and being coached. Born at the beginning of World War II, transitions began quickly moving from Sallisaw, Oklahoma to Portland, Oregon, where his parents found employment in the ship yards. When the war ended, the family moved to Bakersfield, California where he still resides today.
The journey from apprentice to business owner included time serving the Plumbers and Steamfitters Union at multiple levels. Charles has works as an adjunct instruction at the local community college and is a National Judo Champion, which has helped anchor his life in disciplines requiring endurance and patience. This has enabled him to assist those struggling with life issues and its responses.
Being an ordained minister for thirty years was itself, a life teacher, and set in place the foundation for today, living in balance. Today the honor being acknowledged locally and by the Cherokee Nation as an elder and spiritual advisor only reflects a path any can follow.