Joyce Dugan

Who is Joyce Dugan?

Joyce Dugan is the former Principal Chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. She became Principal Chief in 1995, and was the first woman to be elected to the office.

She established a cultural division in tribal government, working on "cultural heritage issues such as language, repatriation, museum exhibit, and education," and was active in environmental issues and health. Her successor, Leon Jones, planned to continue her efforts to fight diabetes. In 2009, she served as Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Director of Communications and External Relations at the Cherokee casino.

She is a former superintendent of the Cherokee Central Schools.

She is the author of a book entitled The Cherokee which describes the history and cultural practices of her tribe.