Debra Haaland

Debra A. Haaland graduated from UNM with an English degree in 1994. She obtained her law degree in 2006 and is a 2007 graduate of Emerge NM.  While in law school, Debra was instrumental in passing SB 486, which gave in-state college tuition to enrolled members of New Mexico tribes regardless of their residency. 

For the past twenty years, Debra has been extremely active in her Pueblo of Laguna on political, educational, and community issues, including serving on the Laguna Election Board for the course of two election cycles.  In 2008, and by implementing her Emerge NM skills, Debra ran for and won a delegate seat for Barack Obama to the Democratic National Convention in Denver, and thereafter volunteered heavily for the campaign to increase voter turnout in Indian communities. Her teenage daughter, Somah, is also a strong Democrat and they currently reside in Carmel, CA.