Re-Elect Cara Cowan Watts 2007 Cherokee Nation Tribal Elections
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"Being Responsible Together For Family, For Community and For Our Nation"...            cara@caracowan.com
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Professional Experience

LeadershipRepresenting Wiltel Communications at the National AISES Conference - 2002

Currently, Cara is pursuing a PhD in Biosystems Engineering under advisement of Dr. Dan Storm, Biosystems & Agricultural Engineering College, at Oklahoma State University (OSU), Stillwater.  She is a Bridge to Doctorate Fellow in the Oklahoma Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Program (in Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology Education), a grant from the National Science Foundation, directed by Dr. Earl Mitchell at OSU.  Cara's PhD focus is the improvement of numerical water quality standards for tribal nations.

Prior to being elected to Cherokee Tribal Council, Cara was a Telecommunications Engineer for Wiltel Communications from October 1999 to July 2004 in downtown Tulsa. After leaving Oklahoma to pursue a career as a Mechanical Engineer in New Product Introduction for Oscilloscopes at Hewlett-Packard in Colorado Springs, Colorado for almost two years, Cara returned home to fight Oklahoma’s brain drain.

A graduate of Oklahoma State University with a Masters of Science in Telecommunications Management and a Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Cara should complete her PhD in Biosystems Engineering in December 2008.

Cara has been active in the American Indian Chamber of Commerce of Oklahoma (AICCO) from 2001 to 2006 as a member and volunteer through the Oklahoma Professional Chapter (OPC) of American Indian Science & Engineering Society (AISES).

Assisted the Native American Employment & Training Center (NAETC) as an advisory board member and volunteer from 2000 to 2003.

Involved with the Department of Labor Women's Bureau to create a better workplace for women and minorities in technical areas and provide resources for Oklahoma women as a Professional Development Committee Member and Oklahoma Representative from 2001 to 2004.

Since 1999 Cara has been a member of the Cherokee Indian Women's Pocahontas Club in order to continue Cherokee cultural activities, traditions, language and awareness in Rogers County and provide scholarships to Cherokee women each year. During the 2001-2002 season, Cara served as the Club Secretary and Co-Hosted the 3rd Annual Cherokee Fine Arts Event. Since 2002, Cara has served as Club Publisher.

Founding member of the Oklahoma Professional Chapter of American Indian Science and Engineering Society (OPC AISES) in the summer of 2000, Cara served as President 2000-2001, Vice-President 2001-2002, Publiscist 2000-2002 and continues to serve as Listserv Co-Manager. Recently, Cara was nominated Parlimentarian as OPC AISES begins anew.

Member of National AISES since 1994 and served on the National Board of Directors (2001-2005) as the Board Secretary (2002-2005), 2002 National Conference Local Planning Committee (LPC) Chairperson for Tulsa in 2002, OK as well as a lifetime Sequoyah General Member of AISES.