Jeannie Hovland facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jeannie Hovland
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| Vice Chair of National Indian Gaming Commission | |
| Assumed office January 17, 2021 |
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| President | Joe Biden |
| Commissioner for the Administration for Native Americans | |
| In office June 21, 2018 – January 16, 2021 |
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| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Lillian Sparks |
| Succeeded by | Patrice Kunesh |
Jeannie Hovland is an important American government official. She is a member of the Santee Dakota Sioux tribe. Currently, she helps lead the National Indian Gaming Commission. This group makes sure that gaming (like casinos) on Native American lands is fair and well-managed. Before this, she worked to help Native American communities through the Administration for Native Americans.
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Early Life and Education
Jeannie Hovland is an enrolled member of the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe. This tribe is located in South Dakota. She studied at the Associate Schools Inc. Travel Agent School. This school was in North Miami Beach, Florida.
Career and Public Service
Jeannie Hovland is a member of the Republican Party. She started her career as the CEO of Wanji Native Nations Consultants. This company worked with Native American nations.
Working with Senator Thune
Later, she worked for U.S. Senator John Thune. In this role, she was a Tribal Affairs Advisor. This meant she gave advice on issues important to Native American tribes.
Role at the Department of the Interior
Hovland then became a senior advisor. She worked for the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs. This was at the Department of the Interior. Here, she helped with important decisions about Native American lands.
Leading the National Indian Gaming Commission
Since August 2021, Hovland has been the Vice Chair of the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC). She also directed the Office of Self-Regulation from May 2021 to July 2023. She began her second three-year term at the NIGC on May 6, 2024. She was first appointed by the Secretary of the Interior on January 17, 2021.
She is one of three commissioners at the NIGC. Their job is to make sure that over 527 Indian gaming places are fair. These places are linked to more than 250 tribes in 29 states.
Helping Native American Communities
Before joining the NIGC, Hovland was the Commissioner for the Administration for Native Americans. She managed a large yearly budget. This money helped American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. Her goal was to help them become more self-sufficient.
Hovland oversaw grants that supported many projects. These included social and economic development. They also helped bring back and keep Native languages alive. She also worked on improving environmental rules.
She created a special program called "Social and Economic Development Strategies for Growing Organizations." This program gave money to tribes and tribal groups. It helped them build stronger leadership and grow their abilities.
Work at Health and Human Services
Hovland also served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Native American Affairs. This was at the Administration for Children and Families (ACF). The ACF is a large part of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
She gave expert advice to the Assistant Secretary. This advice was "culturally appropriate" for Native Americans. It helped shape policies and plans that affected Native American communities.
Addressing Important Issues
Hovland led the HHS Secretary’s Intradepartmental Council on Native American Affairs (ICNAA). She advised the Secretary on issues important to tribal communities. She worked with all parts of HHS to form partnerships.
She helped bring attention to the crisis of Missing and Murdered Native Americans. She did this through her role on the ICNAA. She also took part in the Presidential Taskforce, Operation Lady Justice.
Under her leadership, the ACF Native American Affairs Advisory Committee worked with the ACF Tribal Advisory Committee. Together, they published a plan in October 2020. It was called "Missing and Murdered Native Americans - A Public Health Framework for Action."
Advice on Land and Development
In her earlier role as Senior Advisor at the Department of the Interior, Hovland gave important advice. She helped the Assistant Secretary with issues like land leases. She also advised on access to good water. Other topics included putting land into trust for tribes and energy and economic development.
