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The Qualla Boundary is Lisa Lefler鈥檚 second home.

Over the course of her decades-long career, the 甜瓜视频app teaching professor has made countless trips to Cherokee, helping the tribe in any way she can through her expertise in health and anthropology. For a long time, it may have seemed to some like Lefler was a part of the community.

Now, she is.

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians recognized Lefler as an honorary member of the tribe during a tribal council meeting in early February.

鈥淚t is a great honor, and it's just a great feeling. It's kind of overwhelming, too, at the same time. It's such a show of kindness from the tribe,鈥� Lefler said. 鈥淭hey have been an incredible community to work in and to work with.

鈥淚t's really quite an honor and one that I deeply cherish as someone who's closer to the end of their career.鈥�

Lefler has been a faculty member in the College of Health and Human Sciences since 2006. She is currently the director of WCU鈥檚 Culturally-Based Native Health Programs.

鈥溙鸸鲜悠礱pp is proud to celebrate an extraordinary honor bestowed upon Dr. Lisa Lefler,鈥� said WCU Chancellor Kelli R. Brown. 鈥淭he Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians鈥� unanimous decision to name Dr. Lefler an honorary member of the tribe is a powerful recognition of her more than three decades of partnership, scholarship and service.

鈥淗er work embodies the respectful learning and deep collaboration that define WCU鈥檚 commitment to Indigenous communities. We are grateful for her leadership, inspired by her dedication to rural and Native health and honored to call her a member of our university community.鈥�

Lisa Lefler

Lefler has worked with the EBCI on and off in different capacities since 1990. She began her service for the tribe at the Unity Healing Center, an adolescent treatment facility in Cherokee.

After leaving to conduct research in Oklahoma for a number of years, Lefler returned to North Carolina and worked at Cherokee Choices, a diabetes prevention program, during its early years.

She then worked for the tribe鈥檚 Health and Medical Division, where she was asked to develop a certificate program at WCU to help students become acclimated to work in a Native community.

Ever since, Lefler has continued to work with the EBCI, working on community engagement initiatives, projects and working with a few different committees in Cherokee. 

鈥淚t's just always been a joy,鈥� Lefler said. 鈥淭hey're just an incredible community to work with. The people are unbelievably generous and kind, and I don't think I've ever had a bad day there in whatever capacity.鈥�

Lefler also noted how helpful WCU has been in her endeavors with the tribe.

鈥淭hey've been greatly supportive,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here have been years where it wasn't quite so easy, but we all have to learn and grow, I think. Our last several administrations have been very sensitive to the needs and the history of the EBCI.

鈥淲e, of course, are still learning, but the support has been tremendous鈥� There's just so much more that we can gain not only as an institution which sits on Cherokee homeland, but as individuals, and that's important to have.鈥�

Lefler says she鈥檚 learned so much more from the people of the EBCI than they鈥檝e learned from her. She takes home something new every time she makes the trip 30 minutes north of campus.

And the tribe's selflessness and desire to help others has been paramount in those lessons.

鈥淚n Cherokee, the word for heart and thought are very closely related, so not only do we have to be good thinkers and use our minds, but we definitely have to have a great heart and be able to serve one another and be able to really care about each other,鈥� Lefler said.

鈥淭hat's something I learn over and over again.鈥�