The Shawnee News-Star recently recognized Citizen Potawatomi Vice-Chairman Linda Capps, a member of the Navarre family, with a Helping Hands Award.

Vice-Chairman Capps was among four community members honored for being someone in the community who “selflessly helps others and makes the community a better place for everyone.”

She and the other award recipients, Sarah Bailey, Travis Flood and Bill Ford, received their awards at a reception held in downtown Shawnee in April.

The individual who nominated her said that though she serves as an elected official, Vice-Chairman Capps also “personally does so many other things because of her caring heart.”

“I know she volunteers her time on so many boards and committees to help others,” the nominator continued. “She is always one phone call away in times of need to help make things happen. She puts everyone before herself and absolutely loves her entire community. She is a leader and someone who sets the example of helping others. She is always the one that says let’s talk about it and see what we can do to make it happen. She exemplifies all she does with her helping hands!”

During her administrative tenure at CPN, Vice-Chairman Capps brought several initiatives to the table, from working with Tribal Rolls to develop photo IDs for tribal enrollment, to helping with a 2005 electrical project to install streetlights on Hardesty Road, to acquiring important parcels of land for the Tribe, including acreages like the Knight Farm, Giverny Golf land, Luman property, Sharp property, Gilbert Trucking property, and much more.

CPN Director of Education Rachel Watson said Vice-Chairman Capps also is the department’s “fiercest supporter,” who helps enable them to accomplish the things they want, shows up at every event she can and enjoys connecting with students.

“Last year, she made a special point to spend additional time with our Potawatomi Leadership Program participants and make sure each one of them felt seen,” Watson said.

When students have additional needs beyond the limits of the department, or when local schools are looking for additional support, Watson said Capps does all she can to make sure those needs are met and that students are getting the services they need.

“We have schools that are not required by law to consult with us, choosing to do so because of their relationship with her and her reputation within the community,” Watson added.

In addition to the many years Vice-Chairman Capps has served as an elected official for the Tribe, she also made a difference to the lives of students for many years.

Throughout the years, she has served as a high school business teacher, yearbook and newspaper sponsor, secondary business instructor, Title IV Indian education coordinator, career education coordinator, bid assistance coordinator and as an adult education instructor.

She has worked at Dover Public Schools, Tecumseh High School and Gordon Cooper Technology Center, where she was a founding member of the GCTC Foundation Board. In 2010, Capps was inducted into the Gordon Cooper Technology Center Hall of Fame, which aims to honor those who give their time and talents to the betterment of GCTC.

Capps has also served on many boards and professional organizations throughout the years. Some of those include being on Oklahoma University’s Planning Committee on Race and Ethnicity in American Higher Education (NCORE) for Southwest Center of Human Relations Studies, Community Advisory Council of the Kansas City Federal Reserve, a board member of the Federal Reserve Bank Branch of Oklahoma City, Board of Directors of Rural Enterprises of Oklahoma, and a long-standing member of the Board of Directors for Sovereign Bank.

Over the years, she has been a recipient of awards such as Oklahoma Citizen of the Year, the Small Business Administration’s Oklahoma Minority Advocate of the Year (1997), the Journal Record’s Native American Leaders in Business (2021), Pottawatomie County Most Powerful Woman (2020), Tecumseh Citizen of the Year (2020 and 2012), Don Bodard Friend of Youth Award (2017), Kate Barnard Award (2017) and the Shawnee Chamber’s Gordon Richards Achievement Award (2016).