Christie Byars-Chavez

Chickasaw Nation

Christie Byars-Chavez is a member of the Chickasaw Nation and a descendant of the Mississippi Choctaw. She earned a phlebotomy and medical terminology certification from Southern Oklahoma Technology Center in 1993. Mrs. Byars-Chavez’s 24-year career with the Chickasaw Nation focused on several areas including tobacco cessation, alcohol and drug prevention, and suicide awareness and prevention.

She was a founding member of the Preparing for the 7th Generation commercial tobacco prevention and education conference. Mrs. Byars-Chavez currently works on a grant with the Ethical, Legal and Social Implications Research Program administered by the National Human Genome Research Institute.