The Hon. Deb Haaland, former U.S. Secretary of the Interior, will deliver the keynote address at the 2025 Sovereignty Symposium, to be held at OKANA Resort in Oklahoma City on June 12-13. Secretary Haaland will deliver her remarks at 10:15 a.m. June 13.
Secretary Haaland, an enrolled member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe, served as the 54th U.S. Secretary of the Interior from 2021-25 and was the first Native American in the nation’s history to serve in a president’s cabinet. Haaland served in the U.S. Congress representing New Mexico before her appointment to the cabinet. She’s a mom, ran her own business and holds a J.D. from the University of New Mexico School of Law.
“Secretary Haaland’s leadership has truly made history, and she has been an important champion for tribal communities everywhere,” Oklahoma City University School of Law Dean David Holt said. “We are thrilled to welcome Secretary Haaland to Sovereignty Symposium, and I know our attendees will greatly enjoy this opportunity to hear from her.”
The Sovereignty Symposium was founded in 1988 and is now hosted by the OCU School of Law. It features panel discussions on a variety of topics impacting Native American tribes, including economic development, health care, cultural preservation and environmental policy.
Registration and more information, including a schedule and draft of the agenda, is available at sovereigntysymposium.com.
