Chickasaw attorney named UA distinguished alumnus

CONTRIBUTED BY Dana Lance, Media Relations.


This article appeared in the December 2014 edition of the Chickasaw Times

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - A Chickasaw agricultural lawyer was recently named a distinguished alumnus by her alma mater.

The University of Arkansas Alumni Association awarded Janie Simms Hipp, J.D., L.L.M., with a Citation of Distinguished Alumni award during the Arkansas Alumni Association’s 70th Annual Alumni Awards Celebration October 24.

An agricultural lawyer with several decades of experience in land use law, agricultural production law and environmental law, Ms. Hipp currently serves as director of the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative and visiting professor at the University of Arkansas School of Law in Fayetteville.

She previously served as senior adviser to the Secretary of Tribal Relations in the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Governor Bill Anoatubby said Ms. Hipp was very deserving of the honor.

“Ms. Hipp has dedicated her career to educating Native Americans and the general public on the importance of sustainable agriculture in Indian Country, Gov. Anoatubby said.

“She continues to be in the forefront of protecting and preserving Native American agriculture customs for future generations.”

The honor was bestowed days after Ms. Hipp attended an October 21 dialogue at the White House which focused on the future of women in agriculture.

At the White House, Ms. Hipp stressed the historic and current importance of Native women and their contributions to agriculture, as well as the critical need to engage more young women in agriculture.

Ms. Hipp credits the Chickasaw Nation for its support during her career and hopes to inspire Chickasaw youth to sustain sacred traditions, such as agriculture customs.

“I am so very proud I am Chickasaw,” Ms. Hipp said. “I am surrounded by accomplished and dynamic Chickasaw people and even though I find myself a state away or across the country, I am forever thinking about what I can do as a Chickasaw woman to leave a path for the future.”

Ms. Hipp oversaw the first-ever Native Youth in Food and Agriculture Summer Leadership Summit this year. Fifty high school students participated in the weeklong education and leadership summit which focused on providing comprehensive training in the legal and business complexities unique to Indian County land and agriculture.

“Our young people guide me in my work because they are so very important to our future,” she said. “Leaving a solid foundation for them is my ultimate goal. It guides how I make decisions every day and it guides what our Initiative does every day. Our ancestors did the same for me. It is the least I can do for them.”

A native of Idabel, Okla., Ms. Hipp’s family has been involved in agriculture and education for many years.

In the late 1980s, she began working in food and agricultural law, spending eight years as a commercial litigator. She spent four years with the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office as the agricultural and rural legal affairs adviser, launching state-level initiatives and providing assistance to the Oklahoma and national food and agriculture sector to stem the tide of farm foreclosures during that time.

Her early legal career focused on a blend of commercial issues, banking and mortgage foreclosure issues. She soon realized she needed to attend the new agriculture law program at the University of Arkansas to obtain specialized knowledge.

Later, she served as the director of the Risk Management Education Division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the national program leader for risk management education, farm financial management and trade adjustment assistance for the USDA.

As senior adviser for tribal relations to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ms. Hipp established the USDA’s Office of Tribal Relations in the Office of the Secretary and served two terms on the USDA Secretary’s Advisory Committee for Beginning Farmers and Ranchers.

Ms. Hipp is the granddaughter of the late Irene Spencer Simms, an original enrollee.

About the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative

The Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative at the University of Arkansas School of Law encompass multi-disciplinary research, service and education opportunities.

The first of its kind nationally, the initiative’s goals include: To increase student enrollment in the land grant universities in food and agricultural related disciplines by supporting existing students and creating early pipeline programs for youth and to create new academic and executive education programs in food and agriculture, including law, policy and tribal governance.

The initiative directly supports Indian country by providing strategic planning and technical assistance.

This includes research and publications in Tribal Governance Infrastructure to Enhance Business and Economic Development Opportunities, Financial Markets and Asset Management, Health and Nutrition Policy for Tribal Community Wellness and Intellectual Property Rights and Protection of Traditional Knowledge.