Janelle Fullbright

Fullbright was born on December 11, 1945, to S. Loyd Lattimore and Juanita Garvin Lattimore in the Akins/Miller Ridge Community near Akins, Oklahoma.^[1] She was a Cherokee Nation citizen.^[2] The youngest of three children, Fullbright graduated from Central High School in the early 1960s.^[1] She earned a bachelor's degree in education from Northeastern State University and later obtained two master's degree.^[1][3]

Fullbright was an elementary school teacher at Central Elementary.^[2] She was involved in her community as a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Sallisaw.^[2] Fullbright married Alfred Fullbright on March 26, 1964, and they had two children.^[1] In 1996, Fullbright was appointed by principal chief Joe Byrd to the Cherokee Nation gaming commission.^[1][3]

Fullbright served on the Cherokee Nation Tribal Council for district 6 from 2007 to 2015.^[2] During this period, she was served a two-year term as deputy speaker starting on August 29, 2013.^[2][1] Fullbright was chair of the health committee.^[1] She supported the establishment of a dialysis center at the Redbird Smith Health Center in Sallisaw, the re-establishment of the Cherokee Nation Housing Authority, the expansion of the Cherokee Casino Roland, and the increase of the Cherokee Nation Higher Education Scholarship.^[1] Term limited, Fullbright was succeeded by Bryan Warner.^[4] In 2015, principal chief Bill John Baker awarded Fullbright the Cherokee Nation Statesman Award.^[1] The same year, he appointed her to the Cherokee Nation Business Board.^[3] In this role, she served on the audit, governance and legal and cultural committees.^[3] Fullbright died on December 10, 2016, in her home in Sallisaw.^[2][1]