The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) has released the following statement regarding President Obama’s nomination of Michael L. Connor as Deputy Secretary for the Department of Interior:

“We applaud the nomination of Michael Connor for Deputy Secretary of the Department of the Interior. Throughout Mr. Connor’s career he has proven his commitment to positive working relationships with tribal nations.  Mr. Connor’s work with tribes in his role at the Senate Energy Committee demonstrates he is well prepared for the important duties of the Deputy Secretary to uphold the federal trust responsibility. We are confident that Mr. Connor will be a strong partner for Indian Country and we look forward to working with him to advance our nation-to-nation relationship.”

White House Nomination Information:

Michael L. Connor is the Commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation at the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), a position he has held since 2009.  Previously, Mr. Connor served as Counsel on the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee from 2001 to 2009.  He served in the Secretary’s Indian Water Rights Office at DOI as Director from 1999 to 2001 and Deputy Director from 1998 to 1999.  Mr. Connor has worked as an attorney in a number of offices at DOI from 1993 to 1997, including the Southwestern Regional Solicitor’s Office, the Division of Indian Affairs, and the Solicitor’s Honors Program.  He was a research assistant in the Natural Resources Law Center at the University of Colorado from 1991 to 1993.  From 1984 to 1990, Mr. Connor worked as a professional engineer in a variety of roles.  He received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from New Mexico State University and a J.D. from the University of Colorado School of Law.