WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Tom Udall, D-N.M., today spoke on behalf of Larry Echo Hawk-a Farmington native who is President Barack Obama's nominee to be Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs at the U.S. Department of the Interior-at a nomination hearing held by the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. The Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs heads the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA).
"BIA needs a leader who combines deep knowledge of Indian issues, a powerful and creative intellect, and compassion for the concerns and struggles of America's native peoples," said Udall. "The BIA needs Larry Echo Hawk, a leader who exemplifies all of these qualities."
Echo Hawk currently teaches law at the J. Reuben Clark School of Law at Brigham Young University. From 1990 to 1994, he served as Idaho's Attorney General, the first Native American elected to a statewide constitutional office in the country. In 1994, he ran for Governor of Idaho on the Democratic ticket. From 1978 until April 2009, he served on the National Advisory Board of American Indian Services. He is a member of the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma, though he grew up in Farmington, New Mexico, where he was a starting quarterback for the Farmington High School Scorpions.
"Larry's depth and breadth of experience have given him a remarkable understanding of the challenges facing America's tribes," said Udall. "We are lucky that he is committed to serving in this important post."
Udall met Echo Hawk when both men were elected attorneys general in 1990. They worked together as members of the National Association of Attorneys General, particularly on issues related to Native Americans.
