Jonodev Chaudhuri. Photo from National Indian Gaming Commission
President Barack Obama has nominated Jonodev Chaudhuri to serve as chairman of the National Indian Gaming Commission. Chaudhuri is a member of the Muscogee Nation of Oklahoma. He currently serves as vice chair of the NIGC and also served as acting chair since the agency has been without a Senate-confirmed leader since September. “Jonodev brings a wealth of legal expertise and administrative and policy experience to this position, having served on the National Indian Gaming Commission, in tribal government and private practice Indian law,” Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said in a press release yesterday. “His broad perspective on American Indian affairs makes him a highly qualified candidate as commission chair where he will provide strong strategic leadership as the commission tackles the complex issues associated with supporting economic opportunities for Indian nations.” The NIGC typically has three members but has been down to two members more than once during the Obama administration. However, the lack of a full commission rarely hinders the agency's workload since most matters do not need to be put before all three members. The other member is Dan Little, a non-Indian who is serving his second term at the NIGC. The prior chair was Tracie Stevens, a member of the Tulalip Tribes of Washington who was the first woman to run the agency. Chaudhuri will be required to go before the Senate Indian Affairs Committee for his confirmation hearing. Incidentally, he's testifying before the panel today at an oversight hearing on the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1998. The hearing takes place at 3:30pm and will be broadcast on the committee's website. Committee Notice:
Oversight Hearing on "Indian Gaming: The Next 25 Years" (July 23, 2014) Related Stories:
Senate Committee on Indian Affairs looks into tribal gaming (7/22)
NIGC reports 'stable' growth in $28B tribal gaming industry (7/22)
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