David Hill was elected to serve as the principal chief of the Muscogee Nation in December of 2019.

The U.S. federal government has long neglected and undermined the treaty obligations it owes to the 574 Tribes. Native people have continued the fight that our ancestors started in upholding our sovereignty as Tribal nations in many ways, and in 2019, Principal Chief David Hill and the Muscogee (Creek) Nation took that right to the Supreme Court and won.

The McGirt v. Oklahoma decision was a groundbreaking triumph for all of Indian Country. The court held that the land of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation was guaranteed in exchange for leaving their ancestral home remains a reservation today, despite over a century of attempts to dissolve and dilute it. In short: the federal government must live up to its promises to Native peoples.

How the federal government treats one Tribe, it treats all Tribes, which is why this decision has such broad implications for all of Indian Country. Principal Chief Hill has led his people through a truly landmark victory and has continued to protect his nation's sovereignty from state encroachment after the decision.

Hill is one of TIME 100 Most Influential People of 2020.

Del Beaver was elected Second Chief of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation in November 2019 and is a second-generation tribal leader.

Beaver is the son of Mariam (Bruner) Beaver and the late R. Perry Beaver, who served as MCN Principal Chief for two terms (1996-2003). He is of the Aktvyahcvlke clan and his tribal town is New Tulsa.

After graduation Jenks High School, Beaver received both a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree from Northeastern State University in Environmental Management and Operations Management respectively. From 2005-2016, he served the Muscogee Nation in the Office of Environmental Services including the last four years as Director. Under his leadership, the OES enjoyed tremendous growth and expansion which included the Nation’s very first Recycling Center and several added resource programs within the department.

In 2016, Beaver began his public service career as he was elected to the National Council representing the Okmulgee District, and held the office until being elected Second Chief.

Gretchen Goldman is currently serving at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy as the Assistant Director for Environmental Science, Engineering, Policy, and Justice. Previously, Dr Goldman was the research director for the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists. For a decade, Dr. Goldman has led research and advocacy efforts at the nexus of science and policy on topics including federal scientific integrity, fossil energy production, climate and air quality, and environmental justice. Dr. Goldman has testified before Congress and sat on the board of the nonprofit 500 Women Scientists. Previously, Dr. Goldman has served as an expert on the Public Health Rulemaking of the California Department of Conservation’s Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM), chaired the Air and Climate Public Advisory Committee for the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, and served on the UNESCO/AAAS Consultation Group on the US science ecosystem. Her words and voice have appeared in Science, Nature, The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, NPR, and the BBC, among other outlets. Her academic training and research focused on exposure and health impacts of urban air pollution. Dr. Goldman holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in environmental engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and a B.S. in atmospheric science from Cornell University.