Sue Channing was born in Claremore, Oklahoma at the Indian Hospital. Roy Fisher, her father, was Seneca Cayuga served on the business committee in the 1940's early 50’s. Sue is 1 of 7 children whose family made their home in Grove. Sue’s father was both a farmer and a bus driver for the local school districts at Turkey Ford and Grove. During middle school, 6 of the family members moved to California as part of a prominent BIA relocation program, where her brother was already living.  During her formative years, Sue also spent significant time in Portland, Oregon, where she married and became the mother of 3 sons and has 5 grandchildren.Sue began her career working for retailer Fred Myers, where she spent 13 years and was promoted to management roles in  financial management.  From that time, she has spent the majority of her career in finance and accounting. 

Sue was called back to her roots to invest whole-heartedly in the Seneca-Cayuga Nation. Her husband was offered the opportunity to assist the tobacco company by becoming a controller. The job relocated Sue and her husband back to her hometown of Grove, Oklahoma. She was delighted to return to the community she hadn’t lived in since youth, withstanding the annual trip back home for the Green Corn Ceremony that ensured her and her siblings had a firm cultural foundation. Upon their return to Grove, Sue began work in the claims department in the year 2006, then in 2011 she was officially hired as the director of Housing.

When asked about the one thing she wants to be remembered by, Sue shared: “I’d love to be remembered as a great mom. Connecting my children to their heritage is critically important. The Seneca-Cayuga Nation has been my primary focus in the second half of my life. My purpose is to help the people of our tribe, that we would be able to come alongside each other as a community and respect one another while helping one another prosper.”

When asked about how the tribe can best determine their future success, she continued: “Single-handedly, my answer would be education. If more and more people step out and complete their education, it will turn the tide in our nation. We still have a long way to go… We have a lot of tribal members that have gone to college and sacrificed a great deal to pursue and complete their education. I am living testimony that it is never too late to pursue an education.”

Sue shared because she was married young, she never finished her education, but every year it was on her mind to complete that which she had started. Having children, moving, working, travelling, being a wife and mom, made it difficult to accomplish early on in life. In 2009, Sue went back to college and completed her degree in Organizational Leadership with an associates degree in Accounting.  She graduated from Rogers State University in 2011: “If I can finish it at 58 years of life, anyone can go back to school,” Channing emphasized.

Finishing school was a goal that she had not completed,  but that her brother Chief William Fisher pushed her the hardest to finish,  continually expressing: “You can do it! It’s something you’ve never done before yet always wanted!” He said if it was easy, then everyone around you would be doing it.” Because she listened and accepted it as a healthy challenge, she excelled, had amazing grades and finished! Sue shared from her own experience: “Finishing school offered me the confidence that has propelled me to do many other things in the second half of my life. It was a lifelong goal, and it seemed like something always got in the way, but finishing showed me you can do it anyways!”

Sue believes fundamentally the key for this tribe is education, no matter how old you are, or how much you think you can do it. She emphasized:  “It is important, for your wellbeing and an incredible goal for you and your children. If we could get more people to push their children to education, especially helping moms find a way to pursue their dreams and their education, it would add so much to our great nation.” “Women in our culture don’t always see themselves in leadership roles and it is so important when I look at these young women, who have children and families,  to also dream about their goals, pursuits and ideas, if it’s something that they once considered.” Channing passionately believes women are an intricate part of bringing compassion to leadership within the marketplace: “Women possess a deep desire to want to protect both our children, and our society.” Sue desires to see more SCN women lead and  strongly believes in the contributions they have to bring.

When asked what aspects of her current life make her most proud she shared:

“We’ve done so many great things. We have overcome so many challenges. From having nothing to having our own casino, and tobacco factory. This tribe has a lot to offer, we were one of the first tribes to have Indian gaming in the state of Oklahoma. My dad was always so proud of being Seneca-Cayuga and that legacy lives on through us. We aim to make our Nation a better place, preserving our legacy and accepting leadership roles in the face of adversity. While we all are different, we have common ground and work through our challenges together. We are doing better than we’ve ever done and the future is bright.”

When Sue’s not working within administration she enjoys spending time in her yard, groundskeeping, gardening, and being in the sun when it shines..