White House selects more Native faces

[bigtree]

Apr 10, 2009

President Barack Obama has announced intentions to nominate more Native Americans to posts within his administration.

Mary L. Smith, a member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, has been named as a nominee for assistant attorney general in the tax division at the Department of Justice. She is currently a partner at Schoeman, Updike, Kaufman & Scharf LLP, a female-owned law firm.

Smith previously served in the Clinton White House where she was responsible for overseeing a number of policy areas including domestic violence, tax issues, equal pay, Internet gambling, civil rights and Native-focused issues. She was the highest-ranking Native American in the White House during the Clinton administration.

Hilary Tompkins, a member of the Navajo Nation, has been named as a nominee for solicitor of the Department of the Interior. She was previously a top lawyer to Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico from 2003 – 2008, providing expertise within the governor’s office on Native American affairs. She formerly worked in a legal capacity for several Indian nations.

Obama has also nominated Rhea Suh as assistant secretary for policy, management and budget at the interior. Well-versed in Indian issues, she is a former aide to retired Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell, R-Colo., a member of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe of Montana.


http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/politics/42799032.html

[H2O Man]

1. Very good.

Nominated!

[flor de jasmim]

2. Great news!

[Aloha Spirit]

3. Rhea Suh sounds really smart...M.Ed from Harvard, Environmental Science Degree...

http://projects.washingtonpost.com/2009/federal-appointments/person/rhea-suh/

[Wetzelbill]

4. K and R

[T Wolf]

5. Now wait a minute. We cannot judge whether this is a good thing so soon. He has not

had time to bring more diversity to the administration.

And we certainly CAN NOT judge him on what might only be an intention.

He's only been in office for three months.

We must wait and see what happens before praising this "indication of a direction."

A year or two from now - we can decide if this is good.