Robert Anderson (Bois Forte Band), Solicitor – Mr. Anderson has taught American Indian law, public land, and water law at the University of Washington School of Law where he directed its Native American Law Center for twenty years. Since 2010, he has served as visiting professor at Harvard Law School. In the Clinton Administration, he served as the Associate Solicitor for Indian Affairs and Counselor to the Secretary. President Biden nominated him to serve as the Solicitor for the U.S. Department of the Interior. The Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee approved his nomination by an 11-9 vote with Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) as the only Republican to vote in favor of his nomination. Mr. Anderson’s nomination awaits further consideration from the full U.S. Senate. Anna Marie Bledsoe Downs (Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska), Deputy Solicitor for Indian Affairs – Ms. Bledsoe Downs joins Interior after serving as the Executive Vice President of Community Impact and Engagement at Ho- Chunk, Inc. She previously served as Interim Director of the BIE in the Obama Administration. She was also Executive Director of the Indian Legal Program (ILP) at ASU. As Deputy Solicitor for Indian Affairs, she will spearhead the Department’s views on legal issues impacting Indian Country and make recommendations on which cases to elevate to the Justice Department. Natalie Landreth (Chickasaw Nation), Deputy Solicitor for Land Resources – Ms. Landreth is a former attorney for the Native American Rights Fund where she worked for 17 years, representing tribes and Native Americans in treaty rights, public lands, and administrative and environmental laws. As Deputy Solicitor for Land Resources, she will be helping the Biden administration to address major challenges that include racial equality and climate change. Bryan Newland (Bay Mills Indian Community), Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs – Mr. Newland, while awaiting his confirmation process to progress in the Senate, is currently serving as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs at the U.S. Department of the Interior. He is a citizen of the Bay Mills Indian Community (Ojibwe), where he recently completed his tenure as Tribal President. Prior to that, Bryan served as Chief Judge of the Bay Mills Tribal Court. From 2009 to 2012, he served as a Counselor and Policy Advisor to the Assistant Secretary of the Interior – Indian Affairs. The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs held an oversight hearing on the nomination on June 9, 2021. The Committee has scheduled a vote on Mr. Newland’s nomination for July 14, 2021, which will occur after this report goes to print. U.S. Department of Agriculture Janie Hipp (Chickasaw Nation), USDA General Counsel – President Biden nominated Ms. Hipp to the USDA in March of this year, while she was serving as the CEO of the Native American Agriculture Fund. Before this role, Janie was the founding director of the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative at the University of Arkansas. She served as Director of the Office of Tribal Relations in the Obama Administration. For more than 35 years prior to her federal service, Janie built her career as an agriculture and food lawyer and policy expert. Her work has focused on the complex intersection of Indian law and agriculture and food law. The Senate Agriculture Committee approved her nomination by unanimous voice vote on June 10, 2021. Her nomination now awaits consideration before the full U.S. Senate. Zach Ducheneaux (Cheyenne River Sioux), Administrator of the Farm Service Agency – Mr. Ducheneaux previously served as the Executive Director of the Intertribal Agriculture Council, the largest, longest-standing Native American agriculture organization in the United States. In this role, Zach will provide leadership and direction on agricultural policy, administering credit and loan programs, and managing conservation, commodity, disaster and farm marketing programs through a national network of offices. In addition to his duties as Administrator, Zach currently serves on the board of directors for Project H3LP!, a nonprofit founded by his family to benefit his local community by providing life lessons and therapy through horsemanship. Heather Dawn Thompson (Cheyenne River Sioux), Director Office of Tribal Relations (OTR) – Ms. Thompson has worked in Indian law and policy for two decades, most recently in private practice. She has also served as law clerk with the Attorney General’s Office for the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, as Counsel and Policy
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