President Joe Biden has nominated Patrice H. Kunesh, who has extensive background in tribal, state and federal service, as chairwoman of the National Indian Gaming Commission, according to a press release.
Kunesh. who is Deputy Assistant Secretary for Native American Affairs and Commissioner of the Administration for Native Americans within the Administration for Children and Families in the Department of Health and Human Services. will replace Sharon M. Avery, who has served as acting chairwoman since May.
She previously established the Center for Indian Country Development at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Kunesh founded Peȟíŋ Haha Consulting in 2020, a social enterprise dedicated to building more powerful Native American communities.
She also has served as Deputy Solicitor for Indian Affairs at the Department of the Interior, a member of the U.S. Treasury Community Development Advisory Board and a faculty member at the University of South Dakota School of Law. Her background also includes contributions to the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and the Native American Rights Fund.
After E. Sequoyah Simermeyer unexpectedly resigned as chairman in February, Indian Gaming Association Chairman Ernie Stevens Jr. called on the Biden administration in April to promptly appoint a replacement for the empty position.
