Chahta Foundation Board of Directors

After serving in the US Army, Mr. Marshall undertook a 27-year career in the international, offshore contract drilling business. After working for five years on offshore drilling rigs in the US and internationally, Mr. Marshall undertook a series of successively more challenging management and executive positions, including President and Chief Operating Officer of Transocean(RIG) and President and Chief Executive Officer of GlobalSantaFe(GSF).

Mr Marshall has served as a Director of the International Association of Drilling Contractors, the National Petroleum Council and formerly served as Chairman of the National Ocean Industries Association.

In addition to having served on numerous private and charitable boards, Mr. Marshall currently serves on the Board of Directors for Southwestern Energy(SWN) and has served on the Board of Directors for five other NYSE listed companies.

Mr. Marshall is a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. He received a BS in Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1973 and is a US Army veteran.

Mr. Marshall and his wife Roxann maintain homes in Houston, San Antonio and Healdsburg, CA, have been married for over forty years, and have three children and two grandchildren with whom they devote their time.

Education has always come first for Stacy Shepherd. She spent thirty years in the classroom as a high school English teacher at Durant High School—where she was honored twice as a Top 12 Finalist for Oklahoma Teacher of the Year. Her commitment to lifelong learning is an inspiration to everyone at the Chahta Foundation and has earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from Southeastern Oklahoma State University. Stacy has completed 18 hours of Choctaw Language courses and continues to motivate others to reach their full potential in both her role with the Choctaw Nation and as Vice-Chairman of the Chahta Foundation.

For over 23 years, Sonya Diggs has worked in Tribal Government for the Choctaw Nation. Her forte is balancing numbers, and after receiving her bachelor’s degree in accounting from Southeastern Oklahoma State University, she used her talent to serve as the Senior Accounting Manager for the Choctaw Nation’s Grants Accounting team. Sonya has also helped coordinate the Federal Grants Training Plan for the Choctaw Nation and has held the role of Treasurer for the Chahta Foundation for the past 6 years.

Kathy Carpenter has always championed education. Her thirty-year career as an educator in the Oklahoma public school system gives her a unique perspective on the impact of interactive learning on subjects including science and English. During her tenure, Kathy was honored as her district’s teacher of the year, and selected by NASA to attend their prestigious teaching workshops. Kathy is an alumnus of Southeastern Oklahoma State University, and now serves as Secretary for the Chahta Foundation.

Joy has spent a lifetime studying, teaching and bettering education in Oklahoma. After graduating from Southeastern Oklahoma State University (SOSU) with a Bachelor’s degree in both Business and Elementary Education, Joy went on to obtain two Masters. She worked for her alma mater serving in the TRIO programs and teaching in SOSU’s Business Department for 27 years before putting her expertise and passion for education to work for the Choctaw Nation as the Executive Director of the Education Department. Under Joy’s leadership, the Tribe’s Education Department experienced explosive growth, value-adding programming and innovative learning techniques which have since been replicated by other tribes.

Today, Joy continues to serve her Tribe as Director of Education Special Projects and sits on a number of educational committees and boards including the Chahta Foundation, Jones Academy Foundation, the Alumni Board and John Massey Business Board for Southeastern Oklahoma State University and the national No Child Left Behind Negotiated Rulemaking Committee.

Biography Coming Soon!

Chloe Moyer is a native of Idabel, Oklahoma, a citizen of the Choctaw Nation, and recipient of the Chahta Foundation Heritage Legal Scholarship. Chloe received her Bachelor of Business Administration (Accounting) from Northeastern State University in 2018, and a Juris Doctorate from Oklahoma City University School of Law in 2021. During her time at Oklahoma City University, she participated in the American Indian Wills Clinic and was a member of multiple organizations including the Oklahoma City University Law Review. She focused her studies on Indian Law and Estate Planning. Her Note, An Oklahoma Tribal Employer’s Guide to Conducting Business in the Tenth Circuit, was published in the Oklahoma City University Law Review. Upon graduation, she received a Certificate in Estate Planning. She currently serves as a Government Attorney for the Choctaw Nation. She looks forward to continuing serving her Tribe as a Board Member of the Chahta Foundation.

Charles Shadle (b.1960, Ardmore OK) teaches composition, music theory, and music history at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he serves as Senior Lecturer in Music, and as Theory Coordinator. He was educated at the University of Colorado, Tulane University, and Brandeis University, where he received his Ph.D. in Composition and Theory, and counts among his teachers Cecil Effinger, Richard Toensing, Barbara Jazwinsky, Yehudi Wyner, Edward Cohen, Harold Shapero, and Eloise Ristad. Dr. Shadle’s catalogue includes chamber music, four operas, four symphonies, six film scores for the National Film Preservation Foundation, and numerous choral pieces and songs. He is an enrolled member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. This heritage is reflected in works ranging from the large-scaled Oklahoma Choctaw Cycle (Limestone Gap, Red Cedar, and The Old Place) for chamber ensemble, to the short and accessible Choctaw Animals piano pieces recently made available by MIT: (https://shass.mit.edu/news/news-2021-choctaw-animals-mit-composer-charles-shadle)

Nathan Sweeney is a Scientist who specializes in cancer research. For the past 14 years, he has researched blood cancers (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Acute Myeloid Leukemia, and Multiple Myeloma) and solid cancers (Colorectal Carcinoma, Hepatocellular Carcinoma). In each cancer, he has made big discoveries and has shared these discoveries with the scientific community by way of scientific publications.   Nathan is quick to acknowledge the enormous impact the Choctaw Nation/Chahta Foundation has had on his pursuit of higher education. While an undergrad at the University of Utah, Nathan received the Choctaw Nation of Higher Education Scholarship. Then in graduate school at the University of Arizona, Nathan was awarded the Chahta Foundation Doctorate Scholarship. Although Nathan resides in Salt Lake City, Utah with his wife and 7-year-old daughter, he frequents Ada and Durant, Oklahoma to enjoy the outdoors (fish) and visit family as often as possible.

Jane Semple is a native of Durant and citizen of the Choctaw Nation. Janie received a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from the University of Oklahoma in 1969, and a Master of Education degree from Southeastern Oklahoma State University in 1989. She spent 20 years teaching public school art. And another ten serving as the Director of Alumni and Public Relations for Southeastern Oklahoma State University where she continues to work part time as the Art Gallery Director.

Since her retirement in 2007, Janie has held positions on numerous boards and serves as a member for several of Durant’s service organizations; including The Red River Arts Council, The Magnolia Festival of Oklahoma, Southeastern Alumni Association, the Goodland Academy, Oklahoma Shakespearean Festival, PEO, The Fortnightly Club and our own Chahta Foundation.

Seth's life and work are dedicated to three pillars–health, family, and the Choctaw people. In college, he served as a member of the Native American Council at Southeastern Oklahoma State University, a student-led group that focused on Native issues and initiatives—all while earning a degree in Business Administration and Marketing. After graduating, Seth worked for the Choctaw Nation's Success Through Academic Recognition (STAR) program to encourage academic achievement and increase college aspirations among Choctaw students ages 6-18. In 2012, Seth accepted his role with the Chahta Foundation. During this time, Seth earned his MBA, showing the value of investing in education through his work and life. Seth worked as the Executive Director of the Chahta Foundation for 12 years before moving to serve in his current role as the Executive Director of Choctaw Nation Cultural Services. Seth's other nonprofit experience also includes serving on the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits Board of Directors and Texoma Health Foundation Board of Directors, and he is the current Chairman for Imagine Durant.