Deborah Ripley

Hello, my name is Deborah Ripley. I live and work in Ada, Oklahoma, with my husband and two children, ages 9 and 10. I am a Chickasaw citizen and have worked for the tribe in various capacities for 12 years, with the last eight years as an internal auditor. In the last year, I have taken on a new role as a compliance manager for the Chickasaw Nation Department of Treasury. Within this role, I support treasury team members with education over internal controls and establishing policies and procedures to reduce unnecessary risk and increase compliance with laws and regulations that apply to our daily operations within the Chickasaw Nation Department of Treasury. This compliance and training assure our treasury operations and programs may continue to service Chickasaw Citizens, our surrounding community, and vendors we do business with.
I grew up in New Mexico and graduated from the University of New Mexico, Anderson School of Business, with a BBA in accounting. During my time at UNM, I found business law very interesting. The opportunity to go back to school and obtain my master’s degree in legal studies with a focus on indigenous people allows me to serve other Chickasaw citizens, other native Americans, our surrounding community, and my fellow employees. Having a strong legal understanding of the tribal history and foundational tribal case law helps to better understand why and how federal laws and regulations apply. With this stronger understanding, increases tneededs to be compliant.
I enjoy seeing how every person, at all levels of the tribal government, plays a critical role in executing our mission and vision while maintaining compliance, managing risk, and supporting our community. The MLS program will the ability to enhance my skills as a compliance manager to better serve my co-workers and broader community.