Teller tapped for cabinet position
CHINLE
Arizona State Rep. Arlando Teller, D-Chinle, has resigned his post in the state Legislature to accept a position in the Joseph Biden administration.
File photo
Arizona State Rep. Arlando S. Teller, D-Chinle, outside the state capitol in Phoenix last year.
Teller will be deputy assistant secretary for tribal affairs under the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Teller becomes the second Navajo tapped for a mid-level cabinet position. Wahleah Johns recently accepted the directorship of the Office of Indian Energy in the U.S. Department of Energy.
“Words cannot express how proud we are of these two young Navajo professionals, who have dedicated themselves to serving our Navajo people and are now moving on to the federal level to help empower all tribal nations,” stated Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez in a press release.
Nez also thanked Teller for his years of service as a state legislator.
Teller did not immediately return a phone call, but wrote in his Jan. 29 resignation letter, “I am honored and humbled to have been selected by President Biden to work for his administration. I look forward to continuing my public service in this new role and am grateful for your sincere support and guidance during my time at the House.”
Teller’s successor will be appointed by the Apache County Board of Supervisors.
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