The Gaming Commission welcomed new hires this summer in Guymon, OK.
Huston Garcia (Administrative Assistant)
Hello! My name is Huston Garcia, I grew up in Guymon. I have two daughters (11-year-old and 7-month-old). I’m so very thankful for this new opportunity to serve the Shawnee Tribe as an Administrative Assistant for the Gaming Commission. I have also enjoyed working in gaming for Golden Mesa Casino for the last three (3) years. The casino has given me many opportunities to learn and grow professionally. I’m also continuing my education at Oklahoma Panhandle State University in Goodwell, OK.
Natasha Minter (Compliance Officer)
My name is Natasha Minter and I joined the Shawnee Tribe Gaming Commission on July 5, 2022. I moved back to Oklahoma from Wisconsin in 2019 and started working at Golden Mesa Casino as a security officer. I worked my way up to Security Supervisor and then Operations Supervisor, before coming to the Shawnee Tribe Gaming Commission. I found that I really have a passion for the gaming industry and have made it my personal goal to learn and advance as much as possible. The past few years have been an amazing experience and I am looking forward to many more years with the Shawnee Tribe.
Leslie Baker (Internal Auditor)
*Not pictured*
Leslie worked for the Golden Mesa Casino for almost three (3) years as the Senior Accounting Clerk. She was responsible for revenue audit, gaming and vault reconciliation, game reporting accuracy, and other accounting clerk duties. She has a bachelor’s in Animal Science and Biological Science from Oklahoma Panhandle State University.
DOWNLOAD National Indian Gaming Commission’s “Independence of Tribal Gaming Commissions and their Functions”.
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April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness and support for survivors. Sexual violence can happen anywhere, in any community, and affects people of all ages, genders, and backgrounds, including Native American communities, who are disproportionately impacted. Sexual violence means any unwanted sexual contact or behavior without consent. This can include rape, […]
Plastic production has grown rapidly over the past 60 years, creating an estimated 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic—most of it used in disposable products that quickly become trash. Of that total, about 6.3 billion metric tons has already become waste. Despite widespread recycling eaorts, only about 9% of plastic waste has been recycled. Around […]
By A. Gwynn Henderson and David Pollack On September 7, 1816, readers skimming the Niles’ Weekly Register might have noticed a story about two groups of Shawnee men visiting central Kentucky. It appears on a page with a variety of national and international news: an accounting of how many immigrants had arrived in America, details […]
On November 15, Shawnee Tribe’s Environmental Manager, Cindy Riley, participated in the Muscogee (Creek) Nation’s recycling event to explore new ways of collecting and processing materials—from electronics and batteries to tires, and many more items—and to bring those best practices back to our own tribal community. Key takeaways: Next steps: Together, we can grow our […]
Button cell batteries are the small, flat, round batteries found in watches, hearing aids, key fobs, calculators, toys, and medical devices. They may be tiny, but they contain valuable materials and can create safety hazards if thrown in the trash. Because they are so small, button batteries are often tossed with household waste. However, lithium […]
On October 22, 2025, the Shawnee Tribe was notified that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) would pause operations during the month of November due to a protracted government shutdown. In response, the Shawnee Tribe developed the Temporary Emergency Food Benefit Assistance Program, which was established by October 29, 2025, to support Shawnee Tribe families […]
Meet Magdalene “Mag” Walls, a proud Shawnee citizen born on February 25, 1921, in Ramona, Oklahoma. Her early years were spent in Ramona before her family moved to White Oak, where Mag attended grade school and met her first husband. Together, they had two wonderful children, Deloris and Jim. In 1942, Mag embarked on a […]
On Monday December 8, the new Chief Ron Sparkman Shawnee Tribe Council Chambers, located at 29 S. Main Street, held its naming, dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony. The newly designed interiors included the main tribal chambers, private tribal chambers, kitchen and prep space, restrooms, and a private meeting space all adorned with modern flooring, walls, lighting, […]