Deb Haaland

Born December 2, 1960, Deb Haaland has made history as the first Native American serving as the 54th United States secretary of Interior. Nominated by President Joe Biden, Deb was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on March 15, 2021, with a vote of 51-40. As a member of the Democratic party, Deb also served as chair of the New Mexico Democratic Party from 2015- 2017. She is a 35th-generation New Mexican and a member of the Pueblo of Laguna tribe.

As a young, single mother, Deb volunteered at her child’s preschool so that she could afford early childhood education for her child. At 28 years old, Deb enrolled at the University of New Mexico where she pursued a Bachelor’s degree in English and later earned her J.D.in Indian Law from UNM’s Law School. Before becoming a cabinet secretary, Deb ran her business canning Pueblo Salsa, and became the first woman elected to serve on the Laguna Development Corporation Board of Directors where she oversaw business operations of the second largest tribal gaming enterprise in New Mexico and served as a tribal administrator at San Felipe Pueblo.

As one of the first Native American women to serve in Congress representing the state of New Mexico (2019-2021), Deb is paving the way and opening new doors for future generations of Native American women around the world. In Congress, she advocated for legislature primarily focusing on climate change, environmental justice, missing and murdered indigenous women, and family-friendly policies. In 2021, Deb publicly declared the term “squaw” to be derogatory and ordered a task force to rename over 650 establishments using the term in their name throughout the country.