Council of the Cherokee Nation confirms Kristen Snell-Thomas as Registrar

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. - The Council of the Cherokee Nation confirmed Kristen Snell-Thomas as the new registrar of the Cherokee Nation during the June meeting of the Council of the Cherokee Nation.

Snell-Thomas, originally from the Lyons Switch community in Adair County, now resides in Tahlequah. She has worked for the Cherokee Nation for 24 years, right after she graduated high school, in various roles.

"In my lifetime, we have had five registrars, and with our new registrar, that number is six. That is not many individuals carrying such a tremendous, constitutional obligation, because this job commands the absolute best spirit of public service and commitment to the law. These are qualities that Kristen Snell-Thomas possesses, and she has full support from my administration," said Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr.

Snell-Thomas, a former Miss Cherokee, spent ten years managing the Cherokee Nation Language Scholarship Program and coordinating degree planning for Cherokee education and Cherokee cultural studies majors.

In 2020, Snell-Thomas took on a leadership role in the beginning stages of the Cherokee Language Master Apprentice Program at the Durbin Feeling Language Center.

In the last few years, Smith-Snell-Thomas has worked in the Office of the Principal Chief, where she has focused on community engagement. In this role, Snell-Thomas worked closely with the registration department, overseeing events and projects for several programs, including the Citizenship Registration & Photo ID Field Event Program, as well as the Public Health & Wellness Funding Act capital project.

"I have found many ways to serve the Cherokee Nation in the past 24 years, and each opportunity has been more important than the last. This next opportunity I now have is one that I am incredibly humbled and honored to begin," Snell-Thomas said. "Serving the Cherokee people and the Constitution of the Cherokee Nation in this capacity is a responsibility I will carry close to my heart every day as I work with an amazing team. The most important thing to me is that I approach this position and responsibility with care."

Snell-Thomas now oversees 37 employees who help take in and verify Cherokee Nation tribal citizenship.

Over the past year, the tribe's Registration department has received a large volume of citizenship applications. With more than 470,000 Cherokee Nation citizens, applications are still being processed.

"Kristen Snell-Thomas is someone who leads with her heart and I know she will be magnificent in this role as registrar," Cherokee Nation Deputy Chief Bryan Warner said. "Through her amazing work in the past, it's very evident that she truly cares for Cherokee Nation citizens and I have full confidence that she will continue doing that great work."

Snell-Thomas graduated from Northeastern State University in 2010 with a bachelor's degree in Cherokee cultural studies and again in 2019 with a master's in higher educational leadership.