Geoffrey Standing Bear will deliver the Puterbaugh Ethics Lecture on Feb. 6. (Courtesy of Osage Nation)

Osage Nation Principal Chief Standing Bear to speak Feb. 6 at Puterbaugh Ethics Lecture

Monday, January 27, 2025

Media Contact: Griffin Pivateau | Puterbaugh Professor of Legal Studies and Ethics in Business | 405-744-8640 | griffin.pivateau@okstate.edu

Geoffrey Standing Bear, principal chief of the Osage Nation, will be the featured speaker for the Puterbaugh Ethics Lecture at 1:30 p.m., Feb. 6, on Oklahoma State University’s Stillwater campus.

The presentation is open to the public and held in Jorns Hall in the Nancy Randolph Davis Building. Standing Bear's visit is sponsored by the Center for Legal Studies and Business Ethics (CLSBE) in the Spears School of Business.

In his third term as Osage Nation Principal Chief, Standing Bear continues the work of protecting and enhancing the Osage culture, language and lands.

“The OSU academic community will have the opportunity to hear from a person whose experience has helped to shape Oklahoma,” said Griffin Pivateau, director of the CLSBE and Puterbaugh Professor of Legal Studies. “A core mission of the center is to provide our students the chance to meet with leaders in Oklahoma who will share their stories about the ethical challenges they face in their field and in society.”

Before his election, Standing Bear practiced law for 34 years. He concentrated on federal Indian law, receiving national recognition. He served as assistant principal chief of the Osage Tribe from 1990-94 and was a member of the Osage Nation Congress from 2010-14.

While a practicing lawyer, Standing Bear was involved in the first Indian gaming cases in Oklahoma, representing the Muscogee Creek Nation, Seneca-Cayuga Tribe and several other tribes. He also served as general counsel to the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association.

In 2017, Standing Bear was recognized by Oklahoma Magazine as an Oklahoman of the Year for his leadership of the Osage Nation. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma and received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Tulsa.

Visit the Spears Business website to learn more about the CLSBE.