UCITOVA means coming home to a great awakening. Our people have had to hide and deny who we really are. But now the Buffalo Ridge Cherokees have risen.

Name: James W. Wood
Tribal name: Buffalo Man
Position: Vice Chief
Employment: Retired from BWXT 31 years service
Statement: "UCITOVA is important to me because it enables me to substantiate my Native American heritage. I can trace my ancestry back to a time before the County I live in was established."

Name: Shelby W. Penn
Tribal name: Quiet Fire
Position: Secretary
Occupation: Registered Nurse
Statement: The United Cherokee Indian Tribe of Virginia, Inc. is important to me because it represents a giant step towards unveiling an essential historical fact that has been buried far too long. UCITOVA allows us to come together boldly proclaiming the quietly spoken words of our ancestors, while pursuing our ultimate goals of documentation and tribal recognition.

Name: Jessica N. Penn
Tribal name: Lioness
Position: Assistant Secretary
Occupation: Child Protective Services Investigator
The United Cherokee Indian Tribe of Virginia, Inc. allows me to know and understand another part of my heritage. Years of silence have allowed people to think that we donot exist, but I know the truth.  We are here and strong. 

"I am proud to be a member of UCITOVA. Working with the tribe has given me an opportunity to learn more about my heritage and educate our youth about where they come from."

Name: Kenneth M. Penn, Sr.
Tribal name: Red Man
Position: Assistant Treasurer
Occupation: Quality Assurance Technician
Statement: My vision for UCITOVA is to educate the public of the importance of Native Americans.  The Government feels that a woodpecker, that may be Extinct, is more important than Native Americans.

Name: Chris Anderson, Sr.
Tribal name: Rock
Chaplin
Occupation: Restaurant Entrepreneur
Statement: The United Cherokee Indian Tribe of Virginia, Inc., is a very important part of my life.  Being a member connects me to my family’s past, brings me close to other members of my  family here in the present, and insures that my present here on Earth will be represented in the future.

Name: Ollie Spencer, Sr.
Tribal name: Thundercloud
Position: Tribal Council Member
Occupation: Retired Airport Electrician, 37 years Federal Government
Statement: To me UCITOVA means coming home to a great awakening.     Our people have had hide and deny who were really are. But now Buffalo Ridge Cherokees have risen.

Name: Phyllis S. Thompson
Indian name: Night Hawk
Position: Tribal Council Member
Occupation: Supervisor VDOT
Unity, standing together, FAMILY, teaching, learning, understanding your heritage and where you come from. Helping one another. Having pride in yourself, but not being to proud. Humbling yourself. Caring for others. Being there when someone needs a listening ear. Patience.

Name: Blondie Ferguson Anderson
Tribal name: Blue Bird
Position: Tribal Council member
Occupation: Retired GE, Ericsson, SCI Systems - 34 years service
Statement: The tribe is important to me because we are all one big family dating back to the 1700s.

Name: Bernetta Chambers-Pinn
Tribal name: Red Bear
Position: Tribal Council Member
Occupation: Kindergarten Teacher
Statement: I am very proud to be a member of UCITOVA. By being a member, I am giving honor to those who have gone on before me. I love sharing my Cherokee heritage with everyone I meet.

Name: Elizabeth M. Jones
Tribal name: Sweet Pea
Position: Tribal Council Member
Occupation: Retired Social Security Administration - 31 years service
Statement: UCITOVA is a Cherokee tribe of which I am proud to be a member. I am able to appreciate my ancestry and Native American heritage.

The tribe is important to me because, through involvement and research, I can document my roots back seven generations.

Name: Horace Rice
Tribal name:Praying Mantis
Position: Historian
Occupation:College Administrator