WASHINGTON DC –
The U.S. Senate voted Wednesday to approve the nomination of Lillian A. Sparks to be the Commissioner of the Administration for Native Americans, at the Department of Health and Human Services.
“I am pleased the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs and the United States Senate acted promptly to consider the President’s nomination of Lillian Sparks for this important post,” Dorgan said, noting Obama nominated her in late October. “Most of all, however, I am pleased that the President nominated someone with the excellent qualifications Lillian Sparks brings to this office, and that she is willing to serve her country and her people in this way.”
Sparks is an enrolled member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe in South Dakota. She is a graduate of Morgan State University and Georgetown University Law Center. Prior to her leadership role at the NIEA, Sparks served as a Staff Attorney for the National Congress of American Indians. Most recently, she served as Executive Director of the National Indian Education Association (NIEA) where she has been an advocate for American Indian education, language preservation and Indian health.
The Administration for Native Americans, part of the Department of Health and Human Services, promotes self-sufficiency and cultural preservation of Native Americans and tribes in the United States, through community-based projects that are designed to improve social and economic development, and advocate for language preservation.