Colorado Lt. Gov. Joe Garcia today announced the ratification of the appointment of Ernest House Jr. as Executive Secretary for the Colorado Commission of Indian Affairs.
House brings extensive experience to the position having served as the Executive Secretary for CCIA during the previous administration, a Monday afternoon press release from Garcias office said.
First of all, Im honored to serve in the position and serve under Gov. Hickenloopers and Lt. Gov. Garcias administration, House Jr. said Monday after the appointment. Im born and raised in Cortez and a member of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and still get down there quite often. And Im just looking forward to working with the two tribes and strengthening the government-to-government relationship as well as advocating for the off-reservation Native American population statewide.
CCIA serves as the coordinating body for intergovernmental dealings between tribal governments and the state and maintains open lines of communication for addressing tribal needs and priorities. CCIA is an 11-member commission, comprised of Southern Ute Tribal Chair Jimmy Newton Jr., Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Chair Gary Hayes, their appointees and several state department representatives. There are also eight non-voting members. CCIA was created in 1976 to deal with Native American issues in Colorado. The Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute Tribes are sovereign governments within Colorados boundaries.
Most recently, House was the Director of Government Affairs for the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce. He is actively involved as a board member with several cultural and educational organizations including the Tesoro Cultural Center since 2009, the Colorado Indian Education Foundation since 2009 and Gov. John Hickenloopers Education Leadership Council since 2011. He was recently named a 2012 American Marshall Memorial Fellow.
House Jr.s father, the late Ernest House Sr., was widely respected throughout the region for his work with the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and the time he spent as the tribes chairman. House Sr. died in a motorcycle accident in September 2011.