In the final days before she departs, Deb Haaland has found time to reflect on her journey from the back roads of New Mexico to a sprawling

Haaland brought with her many other Indigenous people who served as her senior advisors, communications specialists, and across the Interior’s various offices — including the first Indigenous person to lead the National Park Service.

In her farewell address, Secretary Deb Haaland reflected on her transformative tenure at the U.S. Department of the Interior. She celebrated the progress made in environmental stewardship, tribal engagement,

In the process, Haaland, Laguna Pueblo, left an enduring legacy across Indian Country as a beacon of Indigenous leadership and a role model to many, addressing issues that included Indian boarding schools, missing and murdered people, land stewardship and conservation, climate change and sovereignty.