Chief Leaford Bearskin was born September 11, 1921, on his parents' allotment land in Wyandotte, Oklahoma.  Immediately following his high school graduation in 1939, he entered military service, which became his first of three careers.

Following basic training, Bearskin was assigned to Alaska as a crew chief.  As World War II broke out, he entered flying cadet school, received his pilot wings and entered heavy bombardment training.

He was assigned to New Guinea as an Aircraft Commander on a B-24 Liberator Bomber, and with his crew and ship (which was dubbed Big Chief), Bearskin flew 46 combat missions.  During the Berlin blockade of 1948, Bearskin assisted in the airlift as a Squadron Commander, flying 29 missions.

After graduation from the Staff Logistics Course at the Air University in Montgomery, Alabama, Bearskin was assigned to a Squadron Commander's position in Korea.  Later he was assigned as Squadron Commander and Assistant Headquarters Commandant at Strategic Air Command (SAC) headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska.  For his service to his country, Bearskin received numerous honors and citations including the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Medal for Humane Action.

Bearskin retired from the Air Force in 1960 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.  He began his second career in the Federal Civil Service as a Chief of Vehicle and Aerospace Ground Equipment at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.  His responsibilities at Vandenberg included testing, monitoring, and analyzing ground handling equipment for the Atlas, Titan, and Minuteman Missile weapons systems.

In 1969, Bearskin was assigned as Executive Officer to the Director of Operations, Headquarters Fifteenth Air Force and served as the Administrative Manager of seven major directorates within the Fifteenth Air Force headquarters, and 19 air bases.

Bearskin retired from the civil service in 1979, having served 40 years with the government. 
He and his wife, Barbara Cannon Bearskin, retired to his native Wyandotte, Oklahoma.  He is the father of two children and grandfather to eight grandchildren.

In September 1983, Bearskin was elected Chief of the Wyandotte Tribe of Oklahoma, rededicating all his efforts to the betterment of his people.  During his leadership, the Tribe has become financially self-sufficient with considerable improvement in health care, education, adult services, employment and emergency services.  Since 1983, the tribal complex has gone from one small building to a multiple building complex, and the staff has risen from five to more than 100 employees.  Among his achievements has been the development of the Turtle Tots Learning Center, which has become the highest ranked Indian preschool in the nation.

Bearskin also administers not only to his own tribe and community, but to the general Native American population as well, conducting various Indian ceremonies and burials.  He has revived the practice of tribal pow-wows.  "I love what I do," says Bearskin. "I love to work for my people."

Billy Friend, 2nd Chief has over ten years of diverse leadership and management experience. Responsibilities have ranged from providing personnel management, preparing budget and revenue projections, to developing, implementing and managing new programs. He is currently responsible for strategic development and oversight of tribal government programs.

As 2nd Chief and an enrolled member of the Wyandotte Nation he is a proven leader by his continuing education to develop skills in the areas of administration and management to further the effectiveness of the Nation’s Programs to service the needs of the Wyandotte people.

While serving as 2nd Chief of the Wyandotte Nation, Mr. Friend is responsible for fulfilling the mission statement and developing, revising and implementing strategic planning to oversee grants and contracts administered by the Wyandotte Nation. He works with each department and committee in executing initiatives and servs as the tribal representative to all community service partners and other tribal organizations. His responsibilities include oversight of funding projects, including retrieving grants and contracts beneficial to the organization. He works directly with the Board of Directors and Department Heads to ensure the organization meets all governmental compliance, legal and financial requirements.

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Kelly Carpino, CEO