Nevada Governor Makes First Formal Tribal Appointment To Cabinet

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Gov. Brian Sandoval today appointed Ted Quasula, chairman of the Nevada Indian Commission, to serve as a member of his cabinet. According to tribal representatives and State Archives, the appointment marks the first time in Nevada history that tribes will have formal representation at the cabinet level.
Sandoval announced the appointment while speaking at the annual conference of the Inter-Tribal Council of Nevada.

“I am honored that Ted has agreed to serve on my cabinet,” Sandoval said. “As chairman of the Nevada Indian Commission, Ted will bring a needed and important voice to my cabinet.”
A resident of Henderson and a member of the Hualapai Tribe of northern Arizona , Quasula is currently general manager of the Grand Canyon Skywalk.
Quasula served for 26 years in the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Office of Law Enforcement Services, rising through the ranks from field criminal investigator to director of the national program.
Quasula was the chief of police for the Las Vegas Paiute Tribe from 2003 to 2007 and was appointed to the Indian Law and Order Commission in 2011 by President Obama. A graduate of the National Academy of the FBI and the John F. Kennedy School of Government Program for Senior Executives at Harvard University , Quasula holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in police science and administration from Northern Arizona University.
The Nevada Indian Commission was created in 1965 to study matters affecting the social and economic welfare and well being of American Indians residing in Nevada, including matters and problems relating to Indian affairs and to federal and state control, responsibility, policy and operations affecting the tribes.
In addition to the Indian Commission, Sandoval’s cabinet consists of the 19 departments in state government, the lieutenant governor and the Nevada System of Higher Education.