NORMAN, Okla. – Thanks to support from the Chickasaw Nation, the University of Oklahoma College of Law has announced the continuation and expansion of the Chickasaw Nation – Henry Family Lecture Series. Under the new name, the event will continue to showcase thought-provoking discourse surrounding the rule of law to audiences at OU’s law school on its Norman campus.
Kevin K. Washburn, an OU graduate and leading expert in American Indian and Indigenous Peoples law, will headline the event on Feb. 12, 2026, with the talk “The Tribal Nations Renaissance (as Viewed Through Recent Supreme Court Decisions).”
Among his many accomplishments, Washburn served as assistant secretary of Indian Affairs at the U.S. Department of the Interior from 2012 to 2016 and served as chair of the Board of Trustees of the Law School Admission Council. He is a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation who was inducted into the Chickasaw Hall of Fame in 2017 for his contributions to Indian law.
“We are excited to kick off our expanded lecture series with one of our country’s most prominent experts in Indian law, a field of great importance to our local and state communities,” said OU Law Dean Anna Carpenter. “The Chickasaw Nation’s generous gift will help us continue this event for years to come.”
Previously known as the Henry Lecture Series, the College of Law speaker event was established in 2000 by members of the Henry family to inspire and educate future scholars, lawyers and public servants. The event has brought many notable speakers to OU Law such as Chief Justice John Roberts, retired Associate Justice Stephen Breyer and retired Associate Justice Sandra Day O’Connor with the U.S. Supreme Court.
