National | Politics

President Obama welcomes Karen Diver as Native advisor

Thursday, November 5, 2015

Karen Diver with poet and writer Jim Northrup. Photo by Ivy Vainio / Facebook

President Barack Obama has a new Native advisor coming on board.

Karen Diver, the outgoing chairwoman of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa in Minnesota, will be serving as Special Assistant to the President for Native American Affairs. As part of the domestic policy staff at the White House, she will advise Obama on issues affecting Indian Country.

“Karen Diver will be a valuable part of my administration’s mission to continue the historic progress we’ve made in building a strong nation-to-nation relationship with Indian Country,” Obama said on Wednesday. “Her advocacy on behalf of tribal nations throughout her impressive career will serve her well in her new role, ensuring that Native Americans continue to have a voice in my administration.”

Diver's appointment represents somewhat of a first. She will be the first elected tribal leader to hold such a high-level position at the White House.

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"Karen has had a very distinguished career," Cecilia Muñoz, the director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, said during a conference call with reporters on Wednesday. "She's a tremendous advocate for Indian Country."

Obama created the Native position after taking office in January 2009, a historic move in its own right. Tribal members have worked at the White House for prior presidents but none had the same high-level focus on Indian Country

The first person in the post was Kim Teehee, a member of the Cherokee Nation and a well-respected attorney and former Congressional staffer. She was followed Jodi Gillette, a member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe who rose to prominence after working on Obama's campaign in 2008.

President Barack Obama hugs Karen Diver at the White House Tribal Nations Conference on November 13, 2013. Diver introduced Obama at the event. Still image from C-SPAN

"Karen is a terrific choice to serve in this position to close out the President’s term in office," attorney Bryan Newland, a member of the Bay Mills Indian Community who served at the Bureau of Indian Affairs earlier in Obama's term and also worked on Obama's 2008 campaign, said on Turtle Talk. "She has been a forceful and effective advocate on a wide range of issues for the Fond du Lac Band, and many other tribes. She is also more than capable of living up to Kim’s and Jodi’s strong legacies at the White House."

Diver is resigning from her elected position at Fond du Lac on November 13. She is due to start her job at the White House on November 16.

"I am excited by the opportunity to have a wider impact in Indian Country under President Obama's Administration, which has shown unprecedented support for Indian Country," Diver said in a letter to tribal members on Monday announced her new post.

Biographical information provided by the White House:

Karen Diver, Special Assistant to the President for Native American Affairs, White House Domestic Policy Council
In addition to serving as Chairwoman of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa for more than eight years, Ms. Diver also served as Vice President of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe; a member of the Board of Directors for the Corporation for Supportive Housing; a two-term Chair of the Boards of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits and the Women's Foundation of Minnesota; and a Presidential appointee to the State, Local and Tribal Leaders Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resiliency, co-chairing the Natural Resources Committee. Ms. Diver has a Bachelors in Economics from the University of Minnesota, Duluth, and a Masters in Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.