Chairman John A. “Rocky” Barrett, Jr. has served as an elected official for the Citizen Potawatomi Nation since 1973. Tribal Chairman since 1985, Barrett is the eighth generation of his family to serve in elected office. Under his leadership, the Nation’s assets have grown from just $550 and less than three acres of land to an entity with over $800 million in assets and an annual economic impact exceeding $550 million.

During Chairman Barrett’s administration, the Citizen Potawatomi Nation has experienced more than 15% average annual growth for more than 20 consecutive years. With more than 2,300 employees, Citizen Potawatomi Nation is the largest employer in Pottawatomie County. Barrett serves as the Chief Executive of the Tribe, presiding over the 16-member Tribal Legislature that enacts the laws and ordinances under which it is governed. His elected position as Tribal Chairman also requires him to direct the Tribe’s administrative functions and commercial activities. He was instrumental in the creation and adoption of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation’s current constitution and statutes, leading to the Nation’s stability and progress.

Barrett has guest lectured at Harvard University for the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development and at the Banff Center in Banff, Alberta, Canada, to the assembled Canadian First Nations. He serves on the International Advisory Council of the Native Nations Institute founded by the Morris Udall Foundation at the University of Arizona and the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development. His recent honors include the Leadership Award for Public Service from the International Economic Development Council.