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Josett D. Monette
Cabinet Secretary
Josett Monette is a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians. Josett was born and raised for most of her life on her reservation. She had a goal of making it to New Mexico and made that happen in 2012 and now has the honor to serve as the Cabinet Secretary for the State of New Mexico Indian Affairs Department (IAD). Prior to joining IAD, Josett was the New Mexico Legal Aid Native American Program Director (NMLA NAP). The Native American Program serves indigent clients living on or near the Pueblos and provides legal services, mostly in tribal courts, in many areas of law including jurisdictional issues, violations of due process, custody, divorce, child support, defending against debt collections, probate matters, tribal criminal defense, ICWA, tribal housing matters, tribal employment matters, and representing respondent parents in Child in Need of Care matters. Josett served as an Adjunct Professor for the University of New Mexico School of Law (UNMSOL) National Native American Law Student Association (NALSA) Moot Court Team. She briefly served as a Commissioner for the Pueblo of Tesuque Gaming Commission. Previously, she worked as an Associate Attorney with Barnhouse, Keegan, Solimon, & West, LLP, as an Associate General Counsel for the Pueblo of Isleta, and as a Staff Attorney at NMLA NAP. Josett served on the Board of Directors for the New Mexico State Bar Indian Law Section for seven years and sat as an Attorney Bar Exam Coach. She has assisted with planning several CLE Conferences. She holds a J.D., with a certificate in Indian Law from UNMSOL, an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership, B.S.Ed. in Secondary Education – Social Sciences, and B.A. in (American) Indian Studies all from the University of North Dakota. Prior to her legal career, Josett was a teacher and educator and worked in education mostly on her home reservation in the Turtle Mountain Community. She has three amazing adult children that she raised as a single mother, and she loves to do Zumba.