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The American Indian Law Program (AILP) at the �Թ��� of Colorado Law School welcomes Heidi Todacheene as Visiting Practitioner in Residence.��Todacheene (Navajo) recently concluded her Presidential appointment as Senior Advisor on Indigenous and international issues to Deb Haaland, former Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior and first Native American to serve as a U.S. cabinet secretary. Todacheene will spend six months with the AILP, from November 2025 to April 2026, mentoring students in professional development, while working with faculty on Indigenous Peoples’ issues, as they arise in tribal, state, federal, and international contexts.��

“The AILP is thrilled to host such an accomplished expert in the areas of American Indian and Indigenous Peoples’ law and policy,” said Kristen A. Carpenter, the AILP’s Director. “Ms. Todacheene’s willingness to share insights about work in the federal government, where so much of Indian law practice occurs, presents an incredible learning opportunity for our students and faculty alike.”

During her 2021 to 2025 appointment, Todacheene successfully facilitated U.S. negotiations in the first international treaty for Indigenous Peoples’ intellectual property protections at the United Nations, and oversaw high-level policies and programs implementing legislation she previously drafted in Congress. These efforts included the U.S. Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative and the Not Invisible Act Commission on the missing and murdered Indigenous Peoples crisis, among others. Todacheene also served as the Department’s first Executive Director of the Secretary’s Tribal Advisory Committee (STAC) where she oversaw government relations with the 574 federally recognized Tribes.����

Previously, Todacheene served in the 116^th U.S. Congress as the Director of the bipartisan Congressional Native American Caucus, and as Legislative Counsel for former Rep. Haaland (NM-01) where she helped secure more than $10 billion in COVID relief for Tribes. She has also worked as an associate judge, civil litigation attorney, at the country’s first state-level cabinet Indian Affairs Department, and for her Tribe, the Navajo Nation.��

Todacheene is the first in her family to attend law school, graduating with honors from the �Թ��� of New Mexico School of Law. She is licensed to practice law in Washington, D.C. and New Mexico.

Learn more about Heidi Todacheene in the Q&A below:

What inspired you to pursue a career in Indian law?

HT:��In my early 20s, I was the victim of a domestic violence incident that nearly took my life. When the case went to court, I didn’t have the resources to hire an attorney and had to represent myself leaving me in a vulnerable position. Being revictimized in court was one of my worst experiences, but it motivated me to apply to law school a few months later. I was the first person in my family to go to law school, and graduated with honors.

Looking back, I’m thankful for that experience because it gave me deep compassion for the people that my work impacts, especially the missing and murdered Indigenous people crisis (MMIP) where victims are often ignored. I know what it’s like to be voiceless in a system that treats you like you don’t matter. I feel very fortunate to have helped draft the victim resources amendments and criminal jurisdiction expansion for the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act (VAWA) that the President signed into law in 2022. This is also why I worked so hard on the bipartisan Not Invisible Act legislation in Congress, and the Not Invisible Act Commission at the Interior Department. It shows that we’ve reached a turning point where we have the ability to change outdated laws that perpetuate violence as a step forward towards a fairer system. There’s still a lot of work to do, but it’s an option that didn’t exist for Indigenous people a few generations ago.��

What are you most looking forward to during your time at Colorado Law?

HT: It’s an honor to be invited to partner with AILP as one of the top American Indian law and international Indigenous rights programs in the country. I’m looking forward to working with the dedicated CU faculty who are passionate about their students and the future of federal law and policy. I am most excited to work with students who are interested in pursuing a career in Indian Country and/or international Indigenous issues. Coming from a family that didn’t have legal or political connections, I understand how daunting it can be navigating a career in these sectors. I’m looking forward to passing on my unique experience and lessons learned at the tribal, state, federal and international levels and hopefully serve as a stepping stone to anyone who wants to fight the good fight.��

What did you enjoy most while working with Former Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland?

HT: It was humbling to be selected to lead the Indian Country portfolio for Deb when she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2019 as one of the first Native American women in Congress, including Sharice Davids. After 230 years, we finally had Native women in the same institution that tried to exterminate us! I am extremely grateful that I had the opportunity to shape federal Indian and international policies as her Legislative Counsel in Congress and as her Senior Advisor when she made history again in 2021 as the first Native American Cabinet Secretary in U.S. history.��

Serving under a historic figure has so many enjoyable moments because you get to witness your community break barriers for the first time, which is rare to witness in two branches of government. But what I enjoyed most during these 6 years was growing legislative seeds in Congress into national initiatives that she championed at the Department of the Interior.

There are two pieces of legislation that I worked especially hard on to draft in Congress that ultimately grew into national movements that I helped implement at the Interior Department included the U.S. Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative and the Not Invisible Act Commission addressing the missing and murdered Indigenous people crisis. Public service jobs are tough, but when you have these once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to uplift underrepresented communities, and work with talented teams of people who personally identify with the cause, it gives you hope that resolving structural inequities is achievable.

There were so many other domestic and international policies that we worked on to advance Indian Country that I can’t name them all. For example, the Department of Veterans Affairs Tribal Advisory Committee Act; PROGRESS Act; Native American Business Incubators Program Act; and the Not Invisible Act, were her bills in Congress that the President signed into law then executed after her appointment. Or the Interior tribal co-stewardship initiative, voting registration designations, or even appointee-level Indigenous representation at the United Nations was critical for our international relations.

Serving for Deb over the years showed me how much representation matters. None of this would have happened without Deb Haaland in office to lift up our voices and I am extremely privileged to have been part of teams that cared so deeply in the mission.��