Featured speaker- Howard Paden
ᎤᏓᏩᏗᏍᎬ Howard Paden is the son of Homer and Betty Paden. He was born in Stilwell, where his family has been since the time of removal. Howard Graduated from Vian High School and then received his Bachelors in Pre-Law from Northeastern State University in Tahlequah Oklahoma. Howard and his Wife Alecya have three children Uganasda, Kiyuga, and Awati. Children attend the Cherokee Nation’s Language Immersion Charter School. Howard grew up in a Cherokee Ministers home, later he and his wife also became involved in the Ministry and both were Missionaries for a year in the countries of Argentina and Bolivia.
Howard worked in Indian Child Welfare for 12 years. During that time, he was an Indian Child Welfare Specialist and then later a Supervisor of Programs. Howard worked in, and later, supervised the Out of District Unit, Guardianships and Adoption Units. Anytime a Cherokee child was removed from his or her home outside of the 14 County Jurisdictional Area, when the Cherokee Nation intervened and became actively involved in the case, Howard was part of that team that gave the required expert testimony in the Child’s tribe’s child rearing practices, and worked with the families for reunification. He has testified as an expert witness his Cherokee Nation’s culture and the Indian Child Welfare Act in at least 33 different States across America.
Currently Howard is the Program Manager and a facilitator for the ᏣᎳᎩ ᎦᏬᏂᎯᏍᏗ ᎠᏂᏫᏒᏍᎩ, the Cherokee Language Master/Apprentice Program; that creates conversationally proficient Cherokee teachers to teach our Language using language immersion methods. He has worked closely with Native Cherokee speakers and other tribal language programs to help develop the Master Apprentice Program and other language revitalization efforts. Howard’s family and community are strong guiding factors in his life. His driving passion is the perpetuation of the Cherokee Language and Life ways, Cherokee language and cultural identity along with his relationship with God are Howard’s foundation.