Background 
From 1972 to 1974, Bill Anoatubby worked for the American Plating Company, managing the office operations of the firm. For the next year, he worked for the Little Giant Corporation, performing accounting, systems and budgetary control, cost monitoring, financial analysis and electronic data processing for the company.
In July 1975, he began working for the Chickasaw Nation at its headquarters (then located in Sulphur, Oklahoma) as director of tribal health services. In that job, he planned, organized and managed all tribal health programs, personnel and government contract funds. The tribe provided services to the Indian people in a 13-county area of south central Oklahoma.
A year later, he was transferred to the tribal finance department to plan, organize and direct the accounting department. He performed accounting functions for financial transactions relating to federal and non-federal programs and tribal businesses. He developed and improved accounting systems for the tribal programs and businesses and performed a myriad of other functions, including preparing financial statements and reports, doing budget analysis and revisions and filling all financial reports and tax returns.
In October 1978, he was promoted to the position of special assistant to the governor and controller. In this job, he supervised department directors and was in charge of program management and reporting, including personnel.
In late 1979, Bill Anoatubby was elected the first Lieutenant Governor of the Chickasaw Nation by popular vote of the tribe's citizens. Prior to the completion of his first term in office, he was re-elected to another four-year term, taking office in October 1983.
He became the 30th Governor of the Chickasaw Nation when he was elected to that position in 1987. In 1991, he was re-elected to a second term as the highest elected official in the tribal government. He was elected to his third term of office in 1995 and to this fourth term in 1999.
The Governor manages almost 3,500 employees, more than 50 government programs, 13 tribal businesses and a budget of some $200 million. Under Bill Anoatubby's financial leadership, the Chickasaw Nation became one of the first tribal governments in the United States to be certified as a A-102 tribe, with superior ratings for management and fiscal controls.
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