Richard Bowers, JR.
President, Seminole Tribe of Florida, Inc.
Richard Bowers Jr. is a member of the Seminole Tribe of Florida and was raised
on the Brighton Seminole Indian Reservation. Richard is fluent in the Mikasuki
language and prides himself on the values bestowed upon him by his Seminole parents.
Those values taught Richard not only what was important as a man in this world,
but also what his role as a Seminole man would be to his family and his Tribe.
Richard envisioned that one day he would represent his Tribe. That vision became
a reality in May of 2007 when he was elected President of the Seminole Tribe
of Florida, Inc., the Seminole’s corporate board. As President of the Board,
Richard also serves as Vice Chairman of the Tribal Council, the Tribe’s governing
authority, representing all members and interests of the Tribe.
Richard’s parents were cattle owners and he is extremely proud of his Seminole
Cattleman heritage. Today, Richard remains a cattleman, and plays a significant
role in the national native cattleman issues. Richard’s life as a ‘cowboy’ also
led him to the rodeo arena. He also participated in the Indian National Finals
Rodeo Qualifier and attended the first rodeo finals held in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Recently, Richard accepted the position as commissioner for the Indian National
Finals Rodeo.
In 1996, Richard was also appointed as a board member of the Inter-Tribal
Agricultural Council, representing the southeastern region, and in 1999, Richard
was elected president of the Council. Richard continued as President of the Inter-Tribal
Agricultural Council until 2003 and still serves as a board member.
Another interesting aspect of Richard’s life is that as a young boy, he began
wrestling alligators and won a State Talent Award for wrestling an alligator.
Alligator wrestling, a daring occupation for Seminole men, eventually provided
Richard with a means to provide for his family. Today, Richard remains involved
in the Florida 4-H Foundation and serves as a Board Member.
A glimpse of Richard’s employment history includes four (4) years as a Firefighter
for Broward County, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and a member of the first management
team to oversee the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe of Washington State’s high stakes
bingo operation.
During the month of September 2007, Richard made history by participating
in the ringing of the opening bell at the New York Mercantile Exchange. He was
one of six highly respected Native Americans to be invited and participate in
this ceremony.
In addition to Richard’s current role as President of Seminole Tribe of Florida,
Inc., he serves on the Hard Rock Café International Board. In addition to Inter-Tribal
agricultural issues, gaming, and raising cattle, Richard spearheaded the launch
of a Native American consortium that partners native suppliers with native-owned
industry leaders. On February 11th, 2008, Richard joined representatives from
the Mashantucket Pequot and the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Washington, D.C.
to sign a Memorandum of Understanding to explore the economic opportunities of
this consortium. |
