"A New Mexican has been tapped for the highest-ranking federal post for Native American issues.

President Barack Obama nominated University of New Mexico law school dean Kevin Washburn to be the next assistant secretary of Interior for Indian affairs. If confirmed by the Senate he will oversee the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Bureau of Indian Education.

Washburn, a member of the Chickasaw Nation in Oklahoma, has served as dean of the law school since June 2009.

Before UNM, Washburn served as the Rosenstiel Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Arizona and as an associate professor of law at the University of Minnesota. A former assistant U.S. attorney in Albuquerque, Washburn says his longtime attachment to New Mexico began in 1990 at UNM’s Pre-Law Summer Institute for American Indians."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Washburn Nod Worthy (The Albuquerque Journal 8/9)

Relevant Documents:
White House Announcement | Letter to Law School | UNM Press Release | DOI Press Release | Sen. Bingaman | Sen. Tom Udall

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