The Indian Affairs Department welcomes the new Deputy Secretary Nadine Padilla. Deputy Secretary Padilla joined our Department March 12, 2019.
Deputy Secretary Padilla brings years of experience working on policy that impacts tribal communities. In particular, Deputy Secretary Padilla worked to protect Mount Taylor, a mountain sacred to many Indigenous communities, from proposed uranium mining operations. This work led Deputy Secretary Padilla to law school where she graduated with a Juris Doctorate and the Natural Resources and Environmental Law Certificate. Today, Deputy Secretary Padilla is a licensed attorney for the State of New Mexico and practiced environmental law before joining the Department. Deputy Secretary Padilla also holds a bachelor’s degree from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado