President Fawn Sharp of the Quinault Indian Nation has been elected to be president of the National Congress of American Indians.

The organization held its annual convention and election last week in Albuquerque, New Mexico. According to Indian Country Today, Sharp took more than 60 percent of the vote in a field of four candidates. She is the third woman to be president of the NCAI.

“I expect a very busy workload,” Sharp told Indian Country Today. “I’m going to be spending a lot of time getting not only to understand the issues in every region but knowing the subject matter experts that we have, the people that are passionate in the different areas. It will be a busy year.”

Prior to the vote, Sharp commented on the election to The Vidette. She said that in many ways, she’s following in the footsteps of Joseph DeLaCruz, a Quinault member who was NCAI president from 1981 to 1984.

“I am honored to carry on that tradition of leadership,” she said.

She said the economic, political and social marginalization of American Indians, such as the unilateral action taken by the U.S. government at Standing Rock against united Indian opposition, must be changed. And she would like to continue the work she and others have done to achieve equality for indigenous people at the United Nations.

“The president is the voice of the (NCAI),” she said. “They directly engage with the executive and legislative branches of the United States government and there is a lot I hope to accomplish.”

She will serve for two years as president of the NCAI in addition to her duties as president of the Quinault Indian Nation.