Douglas Rhodes, Chairman

A native of Oklahoma, Doug is a graduate of the University of Kansas, where he studied mathematics, computer and physical sciences and completed his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees. After graduation, Doug served as a US Air Force officer and an ICBM missile systems engineer, a systems programmer and mathematician. He worked on simulation and forecasting applications for the HQ Strategic Air Command and a later was assigned as a professor on the faculty of the US Air Force Academy. He served five years in the military and strongly supports veteran interests.

Following his military service, Doug held a teaching fellowship at the Pennsylvania State University while completing further graduate studies. Leaving Penn State for Washington, DC, was career-expending, but it limited Doug's PhD status to ABD. After two years working for consulting firms as a systems engineer, program manager, and business manager, Doug and Brent Lin joined in 1976 to found CEXEC, Inc. as a software development and services company. In the early 1980s they transitioned CEXEC into a highly regarded professional and technical services organization serving the defense and civilian sectors of the federal government.

Doug is a tribal member and citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. His Native American roots stem from ancestors who played significant roles in Cherokee history and tribal government. For nearly 45 years, Doug has been drawn into Cherokee National political and self-determination processes, promoting key figures for roles in tribal and federal government.