Deb Haaland

Debra Anne Haaland (born December 2, 1960) is an American politician serving as the 54th United States Secretary of the Interior.

In 1988, she enrolled at the University of New Mexico, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in English in 1994.

Her professors included future United States Poet Laureate Joy Harjo.

Four days after graduating, she gave birth to her child, Somáh.

As a single mother, Haaland started a salsa company to support herself and her child.

At times during this period, she has said, she did not earn enough money to afford housing and had to rely on friends for shelter.

She says she also relied on food stamps at times.

Her father, Major John David "Dutch" Haaland, a Norwegian Minnesotan, was an officer in the United States Marine Corps and recipient of the Silver Star for his actions in Vietnam; he was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery in 2005.

As a child in a military family, Haaland moved frequently.

She attended 13 public schools across the United States before the family settled in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to be close to family who also belong to the Laguna Pueblo.

Haaland graduated from Highland High School in Albuquerque.

She has two sisters, a brother, and two half-sisters.

After graduating from Highland High School, Haaland worked at a local bakery.

She earned her Juris Doctor in Indian law from the University of New Mexico School of Law in 2006, but is not a member of the New Mexico State Bar.

She is completing a Master's in American Indian studies at University of California, Los Angeles, while serving as secretary.

Haaland became the first chairwoman elected to the Laguna Development Corporation Board of Directors, a Laguna-owned business created to strengthen the Laguna Community and its economy.

As chairwoman, she oversaw business operations for the second-largest tribal gaming enterprise in New Mexico and successfully advocated for the corporation to create policies and commitments to earth-friendly business practices.

In 2012, Haaland served as the state's vote director for Native Americans in Barack Obama's 2012 presidential reelection campaign.

She served as the chair of Democratic Party of New Mexico Native American Caucus from 2012 to 2013.

She served as the tribal administrator for the San Felipe Pueblo from January 2013 to November 2015.

She ran for Lieutenant Governor of New Mexico in 2014.

Her ticket, headed by then-Attorney General of New Mexico Gary King, the Democratic nominee for Governor of New Mexico, lost to the Republican ticket of Governor Susana Martinez and Lieutenant Governor John Sanchez.

Haaland has been credited with rebuilding the state party after large defeats for Democrats in New Mexico in 2014.

She raised enough money during her two-year term as chair to pay off seven years' worth of debt incurred under previous chairs.

Haaland was elected to a two-year term as the chair of the Democratic Party of New Mexico in April 2015.

During her tenure, New Mexico Democrats regained control of the New Mexico House of Representatives and the office of the New Mexico Secretary of State.

After the expiration of her term as state party chair, Haaland announced her intention to run for the United States House of Representatives in NM's 1st congressional district in the 2018 elections, to succeed Michelle Lujan Grisham, who was running for governor.

Haaland defeated Damon Martinez and Antoinette Sedillo Lopez to win the Democratic Party nomination in June 2018, receiving 40.5% of the vote and winning every county in the district.

A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served as the U.S. representative for New Mexico's 1st congressional district from 2019 to 2021 and as chair of the New Mexico Democratic Party from 2015 to 2017.

Haaland is a Native American and is an enrolled member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe.

Haaland's congressional district included most of Albuquerque and most of its suburbs.

Along with Sharice Davids, she is one of the first two Native American women elected to the U.S. Congress.

She is a political progressive who supports the Green New Deal and Medicare for All.

On December 17, 2020, then-President-elect Joe Biden announced that he would nominate Haaland to serve as Secretary of the Interior.

She was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 15, 2021, by a vote of 51–40.

Following her swearing-in on March 16, she became the first Native American to serve as a Cabinet secretary and the second to serve in the Cabinet, after Republican former vice president and Kaw Nation citizen Charles Curtis.

Haaland was born in Winslow, Arizona.

She is an enrolled member of the Laguna Pueblo.

The Pueblo people have lived on the land that is now the state of New Mexico since the 1200s and Haaland identifies herself as a 35th-generation New Mexican.

Her mother, Mary Toya, a Native American woman, served in the United States Navy and also worked in the Bureau of Indian Affairs.