Patricia Ann Engle Woods

Patricia Ann Engle Woods, born in 1936, began employment with the Chickasaw Nation in 1972 as one of the first community health representatives (CHR). For more than 40 years, she worked in multiple positions including director of health services, administrator of the programs operations division and executive liaison to Governor Bill Anoatubby.

She served as a Chickasaw delegate during the drafting of the Chickasaw Constitution in the 1980s. She also served on the Chickasaw Cultural Committee and helped establish the tribal headquarters monument and was part of the restoration efforts for the Chickasaw Nation Historic Capitol Building. In 1994, Woods took part in the discussions to return the Douglas H. Johnston house to the Chickasaw Nation to create a center for tribal history and culture. She also helped create the Chickasaw Historical Society, served as Chickasaw Election Commission secretary and contributed to the establishment of the Chickasaw Nation Aging Division.

Woods was a member of the Inter-Tribal Council of the Five Civilized Tribes and the 911 Board for Murray County. She was the first and only woman to serve as chairman of the National Indian Council on Aging (NICOA). Woods advocated for services for aging citizens in the Chickasaw Nation and the United States. As a board member of NICOA, she traveled to Washington, D.C. to discuss ways to aid elder First Americans. Woods was instrumental in promoting the Title VI amendment to the Older American Act. This provided services to First American elders throughout the U.S.

In 1984, Woods was honored by the Chickasaw Nation with the Outstanding Leadership Award. She was recognized for outstanding service in 1987 from the Oklahoma Indian Council on Aging. In 1995, Woods was given the Betsy D. Smith award by the Oklahoma Minority Force and was honored in 2006 by NICOA for 26 years of service. Prior to passing in 2025, she believed her greatest achievements were her 63-year marriage to Jerry Woods and raising her four children.