A member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, Carrie Carothers served as the director of the Office of Indian Education from January 22, 2008, until the end of the administration og George W. Bush. 

 

Carothers earned a bachelor’s of science in education from Northeastern Oklahoma State University before embarking on a 30-year career as an educator and manager of national programs for Indian students and adults.  

 

She began her federal career with the Bureau of Indian Affairs as a teacher of learning-disabled students in Oklahoma. She has worked at the US Department of Education since 1990, including serving as the acting director of the Office of Indian Education since October 2007.