Cameron University announces graduation speaker

Mark Woommavovah, chairman of the Comanche Nation, author and retired Army officer, will deliver Cameron University’s Commencement address to the Class of 2023.

The ceremony will begin at 7:30 p.m. May 5 in Cameron Stadium.

Following Woommavovah’s address, Cameron’s 2023 graduates will receive their diplomas. A fireworks display will conclude the ceremony, which will celebrate students who completed their degree requirements in December 2022 or who will complete requirements in May, July or December 2023.

Woommavovah received a scholarship to Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, where he earned his associate degree before joining the U.S. Army. He enrolled at the University of Oklahoma on an ROTC scholarship, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice in 1992 and receiving his commission as a military police officer.

He retired after 31 years in the U.S. Army and is one of only a dozen Comanche Indians who have earned the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Woommavovah is a former leadership and talent scout, and senior instructor of military science for the University of Oklahoma’s Reserve Officer Training Corps program. He served as coach for OU’s Army ROTC 10-Mile Team and Sooner Battalion Running and Triathlon Club, and he continues to mentor and advise OU student athletes.

In addition to his leadership of the Comanche Nation, Woommavovah serves on the Kiowa Comanche Apache Indian Land Use Committee Board. He is an alternate delegate to the Health and Human Services Secretary’s Tribal Advisory Committee for Oklahoma, and an alternate to the board of directors for the Indian Gaming Association for the Southern Plains Region.

Woommavovah serves on the boards of the Lawton-Fort Sill Chamber of Commerce and the United Way of Southwest Oklahoma. He is a member of the Greater Lawton Rotary Club, the Boomer Toastmaster Club and the Comanche Indian Veterans Association. He is also a member of the OK Runner Team and is a volunteer youth track and cross-country coach for the Cleveland County Family YMCA.

He is a personal trainer and life coach, a motivational speaker and author of the children’s book, “The Little Indian Runner,” which tells the story of a young Plains Indian boy who found his passion for running, and all the people and places he visits on his travels.

Woommavovah and his wife, Amber, have three sons, Marcus, Michael, and Dylan.

For more information on Cameron University’s May 5 commencement ceremonies, go to https://www.cameron.edu/commencement.