By BROOKLYN BROWN
One Feather Reporter
CHEROKEE, N.C. – Myra Cloer is a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) from Kolanvyi (Big Cove). She was appointed to the Cherokee Preservation Foundation Board of Directors by North Carolina Governor Josh Stein in April. Cloer has a bachelor’s degree in environmental sciences from East Tennessee State University (ETSU) and owns and operates family businesses including Cherokee Enterprises and River Valley Campground in Cherokee, N.C.
Myra Cloer, left, is shown with her husband, Mike. (Photo contributed)
Myra’s husband, Mike, is from Tsalsdoni (Bryson City), and her daughter, Kristina, attended the University of Tennessee (UT) and is the director of operations and exhibits at the UT Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. Myra’s sister, Kym Parker, currently sits on the Cherokee Police Commission.
Cloer also served on the board for the Museum of the Cherokee People and currently serves on the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum board. Cloer’s grandmother, Lizzie Smith, was a Cherokee potter and fluent speaker.
Cloer said she is excited to serve on the Cherokee Preservation Foundation board, as she and her family value Cherokee cultural preservation. “I like to see our culture preserved. If we can keep promoting monies that go to that, that will be tremendous. That’s just key in keeping our identities to know where we came from. I think this board is very important and I hope I can add to that in some way.”
