Jefferson Keel, the lieutenant governor of the Chickasaw Nation, has been re-elected president of the National Congress of American Indians.

Keel ran unopposed. He will serve a second two-year term as leader of the nation's largest inter-tribal organization.

“Indian Country spoke with conviction today and I’m honored to be asked to continue addressing our greatest challenges with real solutions,” Keel said in a press release. “The message from Indian Country is this: we will not lose ground on the gains we have made.”

NCAI holds elections today for the remaining leadership positions. The candidates are: First Vice President: Juana Majel Dixon, Pauma Band of Mission Indians and Michael Finley, Colville Confederated Tribes; Secretary: Terri Henry, Eastern Band of Cherokee and Ed Thomas, Central Council Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska; and Treasurer: W. Ron Allen, Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe and Dennis Welsh, Jr., Colorado River Indian Tribes.

Tribal leaders are in Portland, Oregon, this week for NCAI's 68th annual convention.

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Native Vote on agenda at NCAI annual meeting next week (10/28)