UNM law dean nominated for Indian Affairs post

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Dean of the UNM School of Law Kevin Washburn has been nominated by President Obama to be the assistant secretary for the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Washburn’s position is the highest position in the Bureau of Indian Affairs. He said his responsibilities include serving as the chief ambassador on behalf of the federal government and president to more than 565 American Indian tribes in the U.S., which amounts to more than 4 million people.

“It is in some ways a diplomatic role; in some ways it is like being governor of a small to medium-sized state,” he said.

Washburn said he believes he was appointed to the position based on his knowledge and experience in American Indian law.

“For a time, I was the only American Indian to be a dean of any law school in the country. I have written a lot of on the subject of Indian law,” Washburn said. “I am perceived and recognized as someone who understands Indian law and policy.”

In announcing Washburn’s nomination, Obama said that Washburn has “demonstrated knowledge and dedication throughout his career.”

Washburn, who is a member of the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma, has been the UNM law school dean since June 2009. He previously taught at law schools at the University of Arizona and the University of Minnesota and was a visiting professor at Harvard Law School. From 2000 to 2002, Washburn was general counsel for the National Indian Gaming commission and an assistant U.S. attorney in New Mexico from 1997 to 2000.

If his nomination is confirmed by the Senate, Washburn will take a leave from UNM and travel to D.C for the job. But he said UNM President Robert Frank and Provost Chaouki Abdallah have assured him he will have a position at UNM when he returns.

The length of Washburn’s term is undetermined, but the outcome of November elections will play a role.

“If the president became unhappy with me, he could tell me to leave at anytime,” Washburn said. “If I am confirmed before the election and Obama wins, he would keep me on through some portion of his next term. If Romney wins, I won’t be going anywhere, I will just stay here, unless I have been confirmed before the election. In that case, I would already be out there, but I would relinquish the job on January 20 (2013).”

While he’s honored by the appointment, Washburn said he’s become close with law school faculty and students, which makes the idea of leaving difficult.

“It is hard to leave here; this law school is a special place. The faculty are my friends, the student are my friends,” Washburn said. “We are a small law school, where the faculty and I get to be intimately close with our students. It was a difficult decision to go.”