Last week, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) announced the appointment of Nathan Bergerbest as its vice president of government relations.
In his new role, Bergerbest will be responsible for leading and managing all strategic and operational aspects of the government relations team within the organization while creating a vision for the future long-term success for the programs within this scope of work for the NCAI and the NCAI Fund.
Bergerbest served for more than 16 years in the office of Arkansas Senator Lisa Murkowski as deputy chief of staff, senior counsel and principal advisor on American Indian and Alaska Native issues. During his tenure, Bergerbest had significant involvement in the defense of tribal 8(a) provisions in the Small Business Act, the Indian Health Care Improvement Act Reauthorization, the Tribal Law and Order Act, the Violence Against Woman Reauthorization Act, the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, and the Esther Martinez Native Languages Programs Act, to name a few.
“NCAI is excited to add Nathan to our talented team of Government Relations professionals,” said Kevin Allis, NCAI chief executive officer. “His impressive experience and knowledge will be enormously valuable in making our efforts even stronger in supporting and advancing the interests of Indian Country.”
Nathan’s previous roles also include Counsel to the Inspector General at the Federal Emergency Management Agency; General Counsel at Doyon, Limited in Fairbanks, Alaska; and Attorney at Cotten, Day & Doyle and Exxon Company USA, the domestic affiliate to Exxon Corporation. Bergerbest holds degrees from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the University of Southern California Gould School of Law.
“As a U.S. Senate staffer, I have come to know NCAI as the most influential and trusted advocate for the preservation and enhancement of the sacred trust between the federal government and the first peoples of the United States,” said Bergerbest. “I’m humbled to join NCAI’s ‘best in class’ Government Relations team in its efforts to improve the quality of life of our Native people and ensure that their contributions to our nation are understood, appreciated and respected.”
