Born and raised in Oklahoma, Eric Turner, a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation, started his undergraduate degree at the University of Oklahoma in 1993. Finishing with a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communications from East Central University two decades later, Turner applied ten years’ worth of real-world experience to help enhance his latter days’ college experience. That experience included working for two tribes – the Cherokee and the Chickasaw.Starting out in newspapers in 2000, Turner expanded his knowledge and experience with stints at five different newspapers before joining Cherokee Nation Entertainment as a copywriter. While there, he picked up experience as a radio and television ad scriptwriter and producer. He also picked up photography skills, all of which he later applied to working with the Chickasaws in their multimedia and internal communications departments.Working with tribal governments, Turner saw first-hand how both tribes and their citizens were under-represented or lacked representation altogether when it came to interacting with local, state and federal governments. By joining his education and experience in communication and media with a master’s degree in Indigenous Peoples Law, Turner hopes to take what he learns to help all Nations in their interactions with government at any level..