The National Indian Gaming Commission announced the President’s appointment of Sharon M. Avery as Acting Chair of the agency, effective May 15, 2024. On May 6, 2024, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland appointed Avery to a three-year term as Associate Commissioner.
Avery will serve as Associate Commissioner and Acting Chair until a presidentially appointed, Senate-confirmed Chair is in place. As Acting Chair, Avery has the same statutory authority to lead the agency and take official actions as a Senate-confirmed appointee.
“I am humbled the administration has entrusted me with the distinguished opportunity to serve as the NIGC Acting Chair in this capacity, and to the best of my abilities,” said Avery in a statement. “I will diligently execute my duties and responsibilities designated by the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act to continue the agency’s regulatory oversight of tribal gaming facilities without disruption, until a permanent Chair has been confirmed.”
Avery is an enrolled member of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan. She has been with the NIGC for over four years, serving as an Associate General Counsel in the NIGC Office of General Counsel.
Before joining the NIGC, Avery served for more than 10 years in the legal department for the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan, most recently recently serving as the tribe’s General Counsel for Tribal Operations.
