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. The full Senate approved his nomination on September 29, 2021 by a vote of 53 – 44. Charles “Chuck” Sams, III (Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation) – President Biden nominated Charles Sams, III to serve as Director of the National Park Service (NPS). NPS oversees 85 million acres and more than 20,000 employees. This includes all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational properties. Much of these lands constitute the ancestral homelands of Tribal Governments. If confirmed, Mr. Sams would be the first Native American to oversee the NPS in its 105 history. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee advanced his nomination on November 2, 2021 by unanimous voice vote. The full Senate is expected to confirm his nomination in the coming weeks. 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 approved Mr. Newland’s nomination by voice vote on July 14, 2021. The full Senate approved his 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. The full Senate confirmed her nomination by voice vote on July 30, 2021. 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 his role as Administrator nomination on August 7, 2021. U.S. Department of Agriculture
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