14 Facts About Joy Culbreath

Joy Culbreath is an American former educator and advocate of education enhancement.

Joy Culbreath later worked for the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, establishing an adult education program and later becoming the executive director of all education.

Joy Culbreath established a Choctaw language education and preservation department that has since allowed the language to be state certified and taught in public schools, on college campuses for credit, and on the internet.

Joy Culbreath served the Choctaw Nation for twenty-two years until retirement.

Joy Culbreath was born at the end of the Great Depression in Boggy Depot, Oklahoma.

In 1967, Joy Culbreath went to work at her alma mater, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, and stayed with them for twenty-seven years.

Joy Culbreath is most known at SOSU for her work with Upward Bound students, a Federal TRIO program that provides support to participants in their preparation for college entrance.

In 1993, Joy Culbreath retired with SOSU on a Friday and started working for the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma the following Monday.

The Choctaw Nation had very few education programs at the time and Joy Culbreath joined them to establish an adult education program.

Joy Culbreath was challenged to build the Nation a language education and preservation department in 1997, which she took on with full force.

Joy Culbreath was later appointed as the executive director of education for the Choctaw Nation.

Joy Culbreath retired after serving in various roles for twenty-two years.

In 2010, Joy Culbreath was appointed by President Barack Obama to on the No Child Left Behind Negotiated Rulemaking Committee.

In 2015, The Kiamichi Technology Center s' Board of Education selected Joy Culbreath to fill the unexpired term of Zone 5.