2007 GREAT WOMEN OF GAMING
Proven leader
Christie Modlin
Tribal Chair
Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma
Christie Modlin got her start with the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma 15 years ago, working as a coordinator for a tribal summer youth program. The years between then and now have seen her serve the tribe in various capacities, from tribal enterprises administrative assistant to retail division manager, from business committee tribal secretary to executive director of the Iowa Tribe Gaming Commission, Modlin has demonstrated an unwavering desire to make a difference in her community.
That desire came full circle last year when Modlin was sworn in as the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma's tribal chair. In 15 years, she went from supervising a summer youth program to the highest elected executive office in the tribe. "I have a passion for my tribe, the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma, to make good things happen for my people," Modlin says. "I want the best for my people, so they motivate me to work harder so my tribe can prosper."
Modlin is the youngest person to serve as the tribe's chair, earning the position through years of hard work and determination. "Early on in my career, as a single parent, my focus was to make a living for me and my daughter," she says. "I worked full-time and put myself through college. I've learned and grown as a person and as a professional. My education and work experience has enabled me to be competitive, and I began to move up in the ranks in my jobs."
As tribal chair of the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma and former executive director of the Iowa Tribe Gaming Commission, Modlin has seen firsthand the relationship between tribal gaming and tribal prosperity. "What I like best about the gaming industry is the positive impact it has had on Indian Country," she says. "The gaming industry has afforded tribal communities the ability to be self-sufficient and to diversify into other economic development ventures. It has had a positive impact by enabling tribes to provide better services to their members, such as better education, better health services and overall better quality of life."
Modlin has served as a Southern Plains delegate to the National Indian Gaming Association, and also sat on the association's board. She was also an executive at-large delegate to the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association. She was also a gaming commissioner for the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma from 2002–2004.
Modlin credits her success to a powerful mentor: her mother. "I have been very fortunate to have had many female friends and relatives in my life that have encouraged me and that I have learned much from," she says. "The woman I give most credit to for my success is my mother, Dollie Modlin, because without her encouragement and support, I would not be where I am today. She has always believed in me when I didn't believe in myself. She has instilled in me three main things that I live by, which is my tribal culture, education and faith in the Lord. Those three things have made me a stronger and better person. I have been blessed to have my mom in my life, as well as my close friends and relatives."
Now that her career is coming into bloom, Modlin says she and other leaders need to pass along their knowledge and experiences to the next generation of women in the industry. "Women in the next decade in gaming should be the top executives leading the companies and organizations," Modlin says. "It should be a natural and normal progression to rise to the top positions and encourage and mentor women below to begin a healthy succession plan of female professionals in the industry."
Copyright 2011, Great Women of Gaming. All rights reserved.
