Marilyn Vann

Marilyn Vann is a Cherokee Nation engineer and activist who is the first citizen of Freedmen descent to be appointed to a government commission within the Cherokee Nation. She has served on the Cherokee Nation Environmental Protection Commission since 2021.

Early life and education Vann was born in Oklahoma and grew up in Ponca City, Oklahoma, in a poor family. Her father was a Baptist deacon who emphasized the importance of hard work. Her responsibilities involved team building, training new employees, revising government regulations and training materials, and negotiating on behalf of the government.