Sharon Avery to serve as Acting Chair for NIGC

Avery was recently appointed to a three-year term as Associate Commissioner on May 6.

The National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC) announced the President’s appointment of current Associate Commissioner Sharon Avery as Acting Chair of the NIGC. Avery will serve as both Associate Commissioner and Acting Chair until a presidentially appointed and Senate-confirmed Chair is in place. 

Avery was appointed as Associate Commissioner on May 6 by Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland. She has been with the NIGC for over four years, serving as an Associate General Counsel in the NIGC Office of General Counsel. 

Before joining the NIGC, Avery worked for over a decade in the legal department for the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan. Most recently, she served as the Tribe’s General Counsel for Tribal Operations.

“I am humbled the administration has entrusted me with the distinguished opportunity to serve as the NIGC Acting Chair. In this capacity, and to the best of my abilities, I will diligently execute my duties and responsibilities designated by the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act to continue the Agency’s regulatory oversight of tribal gaming facilities without disruption, until a permanent Chair has been confirmed,” Avery said. 

As Acting Chair, Avery has the same statutory authority to lead the NIGC and take official actions as a Senate-confirmed appointee would have. Her appointment went into effect on May 15.

The NIGC continues to regulate and support the integrity of Indian gaming. Along with tribes and states, the NIGC currently regulates more than 500 gaming establishments operated by nearly 250 tribes across 29 states. 

Kirk Geller

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