Heather Dawn Thompson named Director of the Office of Tribal Relations

RAPID CITY — The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the appointment of Heather Dawn Thompson as Director of the Office of Tribal Relations (OTR) on January 25. Thompson, a citizen of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and a graduate of Harvard Law School, will assist the Secretary of Agriculture in her new position.

The Native American Agriculture Fund released a statement upon the appointment of Thompson. “I know how critical OTR is to all Native Nations — to Native farmers and ranchers — and honestly, how important the office is to the entirety of USDA,” said Janie Hipp, CEO of the Native American Agriculture Fund and former Director of the Office of Tribal Relations. “Heather has a unique blend of experience and background that make her an excellent choice to lead OTR.”

Thompson does not plan to move to Washington D.C. immediately due to the COVID-19 pandemic but she will be working remotely from South Dakota. “Heather’s appointment to lead the Office of Tribal Relations is a step toward restoring the office and the position of Director so that USDA can effectively maintain nation-to-nation relationships in recognition of tribal sovereignty and to ensure that meaningful tribal consultation is standard practice across the Department. It’s also important to have a Director who can serve as a lead voice on tribal issues, relations and economic development within the Office of the Secretary because the needs and priorities of tribal nations and indigenous communities are cross cutting and must be kept front and center,” said Katharine Ferguson, Chief of Staff, Office of the Secretary, as reported by Webwire.

Thompson’s most recent employment was as a member of the American Indian Law Practice Group at Greenberg Traurig, where she specialized in tribal agriculture and federal Indian law.

Thompson has been a champion of social issues in Rapid City for some time while working with Remembering the Children, a group that was founded to recognize the students of the Rapid City Indian Boarding School. Remembering the Children also recently negotiated the preliminary steps of a “land swap” for lands which were illegally taken from the Rapid City Indian Boarding School.

Thompson also holds a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Florida, and a bachelor’s degree in international studies from Carnegie Melon University.

To learn more about Heather Dawn Thompson, visit her professional website at www.heatherdawnthompson.com/.

 

(Contact Travis at travisldewes@gmail.com)

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