Lisa Johnson Billy

Lisa Johnson Billy (born February 21, 1967) is a Chickasaw and American politician who has served in the legislatures of Oklahoma and the Chickasaw Nation. She has served as a tribal councillor for the Chickasaw Nation since 2016 and previously served on the council between 1996 and 2002. She represented Oklahoma House of Representatives district 42 from 2004 to 2016 and was appointed by President of the United States Donald Trump to the board of trustees of the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation in 2017.

She held the positions of Oklahoma Secretary of Native American Affairs and Oklahoma Native American Affairs Liaison in 2019 after her appointment by Governor Kevin Stitt.

Early life and education Billy was born on February 21, 1967, in Purcell, Oklahoma. She is the daughter of Frank Johnson Sr. and the late Beverly (Jones) Johnson. Her father Frank was a Chickasaw elder and former tribal legislator. Billy served as a member of the Chickasaw Nation's tribal legislature between 1996 and 2002. She was the first Native American, the first woman, and the first Chickasaw Nation citizen to represent her district. She formed the state's first Native American caucus. During her term, she supported legislation related to tribes in Oklahoma such as allowing Native American language classes to be taken for a foreign language credit in Oklahoma high schools. She cites Helen Cole as her mentor. On December 21, 2017, the United States Senate confirmed her nomination by voice vote. She officially took office on December 27, 2017.

Oklahoma Secretary of Native American Affairs In January 2019, Governor Kevin Stitt appointed Billy to serve as the first Oklahoma Secretary of Native American Affairs. She resigned in December 2019 citing the Stitt administration's conflict with tribal governments over gaming compacts in the state.

Return to Chickasaw Nation legislature In 2016, Billy was elected to a three-year term in the Chickasaw Nation legislature. She was sworn in October 3, 2016. She was unopposed in her campaign for re-election in 2019 and 2022.