A new slate of officers have been elected to lead Red Earth, Inc, the non-profit 501 c (3) organization recognized as the region’s premier organization for advancing the understanding and continuation of Native American traditional and contemporary culture and arts. Red Earth has a mission to promote American Indian arts and cultures through education, a premier festival, a museum and fine art markets.
Elected officers of the Red Earth Board of Directors for FY 2020 are Vickie Norick, Chairman of the Board; Paula Burger Cagigal (Cherokee), President; Shane Lindstrom, President-Elect; Lona Barrick (Chickasaw), Immediate Past President; Jeff Hargrave (/Creek/Choctaw), Secretary; and Virgil M. Harry (Choctaw), Treasurer.
Oklahoma City civic and community leader Vickie Norick is re-elected Chairman of the Board. She is a lifelong resident of Oklahoma City and served as Executive Director of the James H. & Madalynne Norick Foundation, a non-profit charitable organization whose purpose was philanthropy, volunteerism and grant making. She also serves as Chairman of the James H & Madalynne Norick Youth Art Competition. Other arts organizations that have benefitted from her volunteer support include the Oklahoma Arts Institute, Arts Council of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma City Museum of Art, Allied Arts and Arts Place Untitled.
Edmond resident Paula Burger Cagigal is elected President of the Board. She is a past board member of the Junior League of Oklahoma City; Komen Central and Western Oklahoma; and Central Oklahoma Cherokee Alliance. Cagigal is a member of Greater Oklahoma City Alumnae Panhellenic, Early American Glass Club, Pocahontas Club, and L.O.Y.A.L. Class XI. She is also a volunteer for Rotary International Youth Exchange.
Cagigal has created a profession from a passion as a personal property appraiser, specializing in fine art and antiques. She is a member of the International Society of Appraisers and has completed Accredited Member courses in Antiques, Furnishing + Decorative Art, and Fine Art. After graduating Bishop McGuinness, she studied abroad in Brazil with Rotary Youth Exchange. She then attended the University Oklahoma.
. Oklahoma City resident Shane Lindstrom is President-Elect of the Board. Prior to establishing Lindstrom Technology, he was co-owner of I.T. Solutions where he has been providing IT services and consultation for nearly 20 years He previously served as an applications developer and project manager for Acker McQueen. While serving as an engineer/scientist for Boeing Aerospace Operations he designed and performed tests on Air Force platforms. Lindstrom is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma and currently serves as Advisory Board Chair for the University of Oklahoma Gallogly College of Engineering Board of Visitors.
Ada resident Lona Barrick will serve as Immediate Past-President. She is Executive Officer, Cultural Tourism at the Chickasaw Nation where she has worked since 1987. She serves on numerous boards, councils and committees including the Oklahoma Arts Council, Oklahoma Humanities Council and CreativeOK World Creative Form. Barrick has also served as the director for the Office of Public Information and Department of Tourism for the Chickasaw Nation. A graduate of Lindsay High School in Lindsay, OK, she earned a bachelor’s degree from East Central University in Ada, OK and completed graduate course work in theatre at the University of Oklahoma.
Edmond resident Jeff Hargrave (Muscogee Creek/Choctaw) is Treasurer of the Board. He received his undergraduate degree in History with an emphasis in Native American studies from the University of Oklahoma, and graduated with his Juris Doctorate from Oklahoma City University. He is admitted to practice in all Oklahoma state courts, the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Court, Chickasaw Nation Tribal Court, Us District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma and the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. He serves as Executive Director of Native Explorers and volunteers his time (F.A.T.E) Fighting Addition Through Education, PROS FOR AFRICA, Pros 4 Vets, Remote Area Medical of Oklahoma, Oklahoma Life of an Athlete (OKLOA), Safe Kids Coalition of Oklahoma, Oklahoma Brain Tumor Foundation and Oklahoma Lawyers for Children.
Oklahoma City resident Virgil M. Harry III (Choctaw) is elected Treasurer. He is a native of Oklahoma City and has worked in residential and commercial finance for more than 30 years
Newly elected to the serve on the Red Earth Board of Directors are Amanda Cobb-Greetham, PhD (Chickasaw), and Dan Bigbee, Jr (Comanche).
Dr. Amanda Cobb-Greetham is a Norman, OK resident. She serves as professor and chair of the department of Native American Studies at the University of Oklahoma. Her efforts at the University of Oklahoma contributed to the elevation of Native American Studies from a program to a department and the establishment of the new endowed Native Nations Center. She has held professorships at the University of New Mexico and Oklahoma State University.
Edmond resident Dan Bigbee, Jr. is retired from OETA where he served as a Field Engineer and editor. He and his wife are founders of BIG Productions and have produced numerous films and documentaries. He has degrees from the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, NM and Bacone College in Muskogee, OK.
Red Earth, Inc. is an Allied Arts member agency and AdventureRoad Travel Partner. It is funded in part by the Chickasaw Nation, Choctaw Nation, Oklahoma Arts Council, National Endowment for the Arts, James H & Madalynne Norick Foundation and Oklahoma City Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Red Earth, Inc. produces the annual Red Earth Festival and is recognized as the region’s premier organization for advancing the understanding and continuation of Native American traditional and contemporary culture and arts. The Red Earth Art Center hosts a diverse and changing schedule of art and historical exhibitions at locations throughout Oklahoma until its new home opens in the BancFirst Tower in 2021. The organization is custodian to a permanent collection of more than 1,000 items of fine art, pottery, basketry, textiles and beadwork.