Deb Haaland
Secretary of the Interior
Deborah Anne Haaland was born in December 1960 in Winslow, Arizona. She is an enrolled member of the Laguna Pueblo in New Mexico and identifies herself as a 35th generation New Mexican. She earned an undergraduate degree in English from the University of New Mexico. A single mother, she worked her way through school, starting a salsa company, and earned a Juris Doctor in Indian law from the University of New Mexico School of Law.
She served as tribal administrator for the San Felipe Pueblo for nearly three years. She made an unsuccessful bid for Lieutenant Governor of New Mexico but would later serve New Mexico in the U.S. House of Representatives, taking her seat in January 2019 and serving until her nomination by President Joe Biden to be Secretary of the Interior. She was confirmed by the Senate and sworn in on March 16, 2021.
Haaland has one daughter. She is a Catholic.
In the News…
In February, the Interior Department launched a public comment period to provide feedback and review recommended names for replacing offensive indigenous references. The Task Force on Derogatory Names received more than 6,600 comments from the public with an additional 300 comments gained through nation-to-nation consultations.
Now the Task Force has provided replacement name recommendations to the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.
“I am grateful to the Derogatory Geographic Names Task Force for their work to ensure that racist names like sq___ no longer have a place on our federal lands. I look forward to the results of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names vote, and to implement changes as soon as is reasonable,” said Secretary Deb Haaland.
Contact this Leader…
Did you pray for Secretary Haaland today? You can let her know at:
The Honorable Deb Haaland
Secretary of the Interior
1849 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20240
