Makpar Applauds Appointment of First Native American U.S. Cabinet Member
In a historic and symbolic move, the Senate confirmed Deb Haaland, as the first Native American to serve in a U.S. Cabinet position as the new Department of the Interior (DOI) secretary.
As highlighted in this recent NPR story, Haaland’s appointment points to a new horizon for the DOI, where she will potentially enhance government-to-government relations between the U.S. and Native American tribes, in addition to managing our nation’s public lands, endangered species and natural resources.
She will also bring deep knowledge and connection to issues concerning Indigenous affairs and environmental protection.
No stranger to the political arena, she has served as chair of the New Mexico Democratic Party, as well as the U.S. representative for New Mexico's 1st congressional district from 2019 to 2021. When elected to Congress in 2018, she was the first of two Native American women to serve in the House of Representatives.
While the current news cycle is certainly celebrating the political significance of this appointment, it is important to note that the DOI has a wide range of innovation priorities, which Haaland will be overseeing.
Currently, the agency employs more than 60,000 people and spends $1.4 billion on IT annually. Much of these efforts support citizen engagement, real-time earthquake information, the National Water Information System, the National Wetlands Inventory, and open data efforts, as highlighted in the DOI’s Digital Government Strategy report.
As a family- and minority-owned business, Makpar applauds the Biden administration for making bold moves to make our nation more equitable with the appointment of Deb Haaland as the first Native American agency leader. This is a huge moment in history we’re proud to witness.
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