Clayton Fulton serves as Chief of Staff and Acting Agency Head of the Indian Health Service (IHS), exercising delegated authority from the Secretary of Health and Human Services to lead one of the nation’s largest rural healthcare systems. In this role, he advances Administration priorities across Indian Country, with a focus on organizational effectiveness, workforce expansion, healthcare infrastructure, and strengthening IHS’s capacity to deliver high-quality care. Prior to joining IHS, Clayton served as Assistant Attorney General for the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, where he advised on economic development, commercial transactions, taxation, tribal governance, and the exercise of sovereign authority. He also worked in rural telecommunications, reinforcing his longstanding commitment to expanding infrastructure, economic opportunity, and self-determination in Native communities. A citizen of the Cherokee Nation and a multigenerational Oklahoman, Clayton earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan Law School, where he was active in national Native law student leadership. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance and a Master of Business Administration in Native American Enterprise from Northeastern State University.