Chris Anoatubby has served the Chickasaw Nation for nearly 30 years. He began his career with the Chickasaw Nation in 1997 as a staff pharmacist and was made inpatient pharmacy supervisor a year later. In 2001, he was named chief of pharmacy services, and in 2010 was promoted to chief medical solutions officer and president of the tribe’s Sovereign Medical Solutions within the department of commerce.
While working as chief of pharmacy services, he was named Outstanding Young Pharmacist of the Year by the Oklahoma City Indian Health Service for his implementation of innovative programs, exceptional leadership skills and development of mentor programs.
To strengthen the Chickasaw Nation’s health system, Governor Anoatubby led the implementation of patient electronic records, pharmacy interface systems, patch testing and pharmacy database systems. He also played a major role in the creation of the state-of-the-art automated pharmacy center in Ada that opened in 2007.
While serving as under secretary of the department of commerce, Chris Anoatubby directed business diversification efforts in healthcare, pharmaceutical industries, health information technology and other health-related businesses. The success of these efforts greatly increased the Chickasaw Nation’s ability to provide and expand vital programs and services for the Chickasaw people. His responsibilities also included analyzing industry trends and changes in the political and economic environment that could have impacted Chickasaw Nation plans for business diversification opportunities.
In 2018, he was named deputy secretary of the Chickasaw Nation Department of Health where he was responsible for direct operational oversight of all clinical and nonclinical programs and services within the department. In this role, he served as the chief operating officer for the Chickasaw Nation Medical Center, Ardmore Clinic, Tishomingo Clinic and Purcell Clinic.
In 2019, he was elected Lt. Governor of the Chickasaw Nation. While serving as Lt. Governor, he played a vital part in the response to the Covid-19 pandemic and the expansion of our public safety infrastructure following landmark federal and state court rulings which affirmed the Chickasaw Nation's right to exercise criminal jurisdiction within our treaty territory.
Chris Anoatubby was sworn in as Governor of the Chickasaw Nation in 2026. He and his wife Becky have three children, Brendan, Eryn and Sydney.