About the CEO

With vision and tenacity in finding the “doorway” to effect change, LACEY HORN has been instrumental in major legislative and financial successes and rewarded with seeing those wins flow through to the individuals in the Tribes she serves. She challenges the status quo based on due diligence and drives creative new thinking though diplomacy, team leadership, and strategic work. Horn is known for her unique perspectives, for always being prepared, and making a difference in the governance of organizations and the lives of people. 

An internationally recognized thought leader, visionary creator and financial expert, her most recent ventures include Native Advisory LLC where she serves Tribal Leaders as a strategy and financial consultant. She provides insights based on her seasoned C-suite experience and diverse background in healthcare, education, financial services and diversified tribal investments. Determined to find optimal solutions for ideal outcomes, her approach is balanced with a sense of honor in providing trustworthy counsel backed by extensive experience. To direct greater impact investment into Indian Country, Horn founded the Native Opportunity Zone Fund LLP solely dedicated to Tribal Opportunity Zones, and in the summer of 2020, she merged NOZF for greater scale with Verte OZ Fund, which also has a focus on Indian Country OZ investments. 

Most recently serving as Treasurer of the Cherokee Nation, Horn oversaw all financial functions of the tribal government including administration of a $1.2 billion annual budget. Horn negotiated an uncollateralized $170 million syndicated bank loan to build the largest Indian Health Service joint venture project in the country as part of an overall $400 million healthcare infrastructure and IT expansion. She saved the Nation multi-millions of dollars by implementing changes to employee benefits and led efforts that upgraded the Nation’s bond rating. For her work in enhancing disclosure and transparency, the Nation annually received three “Excellence in Financial Reporting” awards from the GFOA. She authored two major pieces of legislation – one modernized the Nation’s banking code and the second created the Cherokee Nation Sovereign Wealth Fund, which she then led efforts to diversify its portfolio. Horn served on the IT Steering Committee and oversaw strategic investment into the Nation’s IT infrastructure. 

Previously, Horn had several years of experience on the audit staff for KPMG Chicago in the Financial Services division. She led engagements for an asset manager overseeing $200 billion in mutual funds and other investments, family offices, a private bank that handled services to the unions and to their members, and a captive finance group.  As part of the team that took over a failed audit from a competitor firm, Horn gained insight into auditor/client relationships and the critical evaluation necessary in selecting an audit firm. She began her career in the internal audit and tax departments of Hunt Oil. 

Horn  currently serves as Chairwoman of the board of the Native American Rights Fund and is a trustee for the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI).  She has a rich advisory and board background, including a former appointment by the Secretary of the Treasury to serve on the TTAC advise on tribal taxation, naming by GASB Chair David Vaudt to two separate advisory committees, and was featured in a campaign to inspire Native American students to pursue business and financial careers. 

Horn is SMU’s “Emerging Leader” for 2017; Native American Finance Officers Association’s “Executive of the Year” in 2014; and in 2012, she was named to Oklahoma Magazine’s “40 under 40” list.  She has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, interviewed on NPR, guest blogged for the AICPA, and was the cover feature for December 2018’s Native Business Magazine. She is also a regularly featured speaker at local, national and international events. Horn holds a BBA in Financial Consulting and an MS in Accounting from SMU in Dallas, TX. She is a licensed CPA in Illinois and Oklahoma. 

 Results from 2020:

• My clients spent stimulus funding to their advantage - saving lives and languages, while also making permanent enhancements to their Tribal sovereignty and resiliency. 
• My clients legally spent all of their CARES Act Relief Fund by the initial 12/30/20 deadline and have solid rationale and support for their justifications, ensuring they’re ready for clean audits ahead.
• My clients made massive advancements in their healthcare, citizen resilience, economic preservation, technological advancements, and food sovereignty. 

Results I achieved with my own Tribe:

Financial Results

• Doubled the Cherokee Nation budget from $600M in 2011 to $1.2 Billion in 2019, enabling our economic impact to also double from $1.1B to $2.2B in the same time frame
• Administered $2.3 billion of federal funds with 8 years of clean external, single and agency audits
• Saved $40 million by implementing changes to employee benefits through exercise of tribal sovereignty
• Negotiated an uncollateralized $170 million loan to build a 469,000 sq. ft. Joint Venture healthcare facility and led efforts to cash flow purchase of equipment, as part of an overall $400 million healthcare expansion

Victory Behind the Scenes 

• Established centralized Grant Services Department enabling the Nation to bring in hundreds of millions of dollars in additional funding and expand services to the people
• Authored two major legislative acts, the first modernized our treasury capacity and the second created the Cherokee Nation Sovereign Wealth Fund 
• Implemented Sarbanes-Oxley financial controls voluntarily, appropriate for a $1.2B organization
• Developed contingency plans to enable the Nation to withstand government shutdowns with no effects to jobs or services
• Negotiated agreements preserving tribal sovereignty, including electronic health records, treasury, investment advisory, line of credit, and software agreements
• Enabled funding and project managed cross-functional teams of HR, program staff, IT and others for numerous general welfare programs, physician/provider salary increases, capital projects, cybersecurity, environmental issues, maternity leave and the “We Care About Our Girls, Period!” project providing environmentally friendly products for young girls in health centers

Priceless Bridges to Success

• Fostered strong relationships with legislators, banks, corporate and nonprofit partners, federal and state elected/appointed officials, and Tribal Leaders
• Represented Cherokee Nation in government-to-government consultations 
• Performed Government Relations duties, regularly meeting with members of House, Senate and federal agencies, and   produced meaningful data reports on outcomes of federally funded programs which positively affected appropriations
• Work in enhancing disclosure and transparency resulted in annually receiving three “Excellence in Financial Reporting” awards from the Government Finance Officers Association