The U.S. Senate recently voted to confirm Bryan Newland, the former president of the Bay Mills Indian Community in Michigan, as assistant secretary-Indian Affairs at the Department of the Interior. He was nominated to the post by President Joe Biden in April. Prior to his nomination, Biden named Newland to serve as Principal Deputy Assistant to the Secretary of Indian Affairs at the U.S. Department of the Interior. Newland will be the first individual in his new position to serve under the first American Indian Secretary of the Interior, Deb Haaland of the Laguna Pueblo.
Newland’s primary responsibility is to maintain the United States’ government-to-government relationship with the 574 sovereign tribal nations. Newland also will oversee the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative established by Haaland in June. Newland stated, “We must shed light on what happened at federal boarding schools. As we move forward in this work, we will engage in tribal consultation on how best to use this information, protect burial sites and respect families and communities.”
Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Chairman Bryan Schatz said Newland brings invaluable experience as a tribal leader, personal and in-depth knowledge of the issues facing tribes, expertise in complex areas of federal Indian law and an understanding of Interior’s unique role in fulfilling and enforcing the federal trust responsibility to native peoples. Schatz said, “It is clear from the record that Mr. Newland has the qualifications to succeed in this role, and to serve this country with honor as one of the chief federal advocates for American Indians, Native Hawaiians and Alaska Natives.”
Bay Mills Indian Community President Whitney Gravelle commented, “I am confident Bryan will carry out the duties of his position with the respect and dignity they deserve. Our ancestors would be proud!”
Prior to serving as Bay Mills president, Newland worked in the Obama administration as a counselor and policy advisor to the assistant secretary of the Interior-Indian Affairs. In that role, he helped develop policies for Indian gaming and Indian lands. He also helped reform the agency’s policy on reviewing tribal-state gaming compacts, and led a team that improved the BIA’s Indian leasing regulations.
Before his federal service, Newland worked as an attorney with Fletcher Law in Lansing, Michigan, representing tribal clients on issues including regulating gaming facilities, negotiating tribal-state gaming compacts and leasing Indian lands. Newland graduated magna cum laude from Michigan State University College of Law and received his undergraduate degree from James Madison College at Michigan State University.
