Deb Haaland
Deb Haaland at a Glance
Deb Haaland
- Name: Debra Anne “Deb” Haaland
- People: Laguna Pueblo
- Home: Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Known for: First Native American Cabinet secretary
- Born: December 2, 1960
Key Facts
- Grew up in a military family.
- Started college at age 28.
- Was one of the first two Native American women elected to Congress (2018).
- Served as Secretary of the Interior from 2021 to 2025.
- Won the 2026 Democratic primary for governor of New Mexico.
Tap or hover over the card to flip it. Students can copy this information into their organizer before reading.
Look Closely: The picture at the top is an official portrait. Official portraits are carefully planned. Look at what Deb Haaland chose to include: the American flag behind her and her silver jewelry, a tradition of Pueblo people. Now look at the photograph on the flip card. On the front of the podium is an arrowhead-shaped sign. It is the symbol of the National Park Service, which is part of the Department of the Interior. What clues in these two pictures tell you about Deb Haaland’s job and about who she is?
A Military Family
Deb Haaland was born on December 2, 1960, in Winslow, Arizona. She is a citizen of the Laguna Pueblo, a Native nation in New Mexico. Her mother is Laguna Pueblo and served in the U.S. Navy. Her father, who was Norwegian American, was a U.S. Marine. Because her parents were in the military, her family moved often. Deb spent summers with her grandparents at Laguna Pueblo, where she learned about her culture and traditions.
Working Hard
After high school in Albuquerque, Deb worked at a bakery. She did not start college until she was 28. She studied English at the University of New Mexico and graduated in 1994. She was raising her daughter on her own, and money was often tight. At times she relied on government food aid to feed her family. She even started a small business making and selling salsa. Later, she went back to school and earned a law degree in 2006.
Serving Her Community
Deb Haaland worked to help Native communities. She served as a tribal administrator for San Felipe Pueblo and led the board of a Laguna Pueblo business. She also volunteered to help people register to vote. In 2015, she was elected chair of the Democratic Party of New Mexico.
Making History in Congress
In 2018, Deb Haaland was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from New Mexico. She and Sharice Davids of Kansas, a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation, became the first two Native American women ever elected to Congress. When she was sworn in in January 2019, she wore a traditional Pueblo dress and jewelry.
A First in the Cabinet
In 2021, President Joe Biden chose Deb Haaland to be Secretary of the Interior. She became the first Native American ever to serve in a president’s Cabinet. The Department of the Interior takes care of national parks and other public lands, protects wildlife, and works with Native nations through the Bureau of Indian Affairs. For a department that had often been used to take Native land, having a Native American leader was a big change.
Telling a Hard Truth
As Secretary, Haaland started a study of the federal Indian boarding schools. For about 150 years, many Native children were taken from their families and sent to these schools, where they were often punished for speaking their languages. Haaland’s own grandparents had been sent to boarding schools. She traveled across the country on a “Road to Healing” tour to listen to survivors and their families tell their stories.
What’s Next
Haaland left the Interior Department in January 2025. Later that year, she announced she was running for governor of New Mexico. In June 2026, she won the Democratic primary election. If she wins the general election, she will be the first Native American woman elected governor of a U.S. state.
Word Match
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