Tadd M. Johnson

Tadd Johnson is a senior advisor for government affairs for the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Indians. He is Professor Emeritus of the Department of American Indian Studies at the University of Minnesota Duluth where he was the director of graduate studies. Johnson also served the University of Minnesota system as its first Senior Director of American Indian Tribal Nations Relations.  

Johnson served as a tribal attorney for more than 30 years. His professional experience includes working as a tribal court judge for the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa Indians, Prairie Island Indian Community, the 1854 Authority, the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, and Leech Lake Appellate Courts. Johnson also served as the Solicitor General and the Director of Government Affairs for the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Indians.

He spent five years working with the U.S. House of Representatives, ultimately becoming staff director and counsel to the Subcommittee on Native American Affairs. In 1997, President Clinton appointed Johnson to chair the National Indian Gaming Commission. He is nationally recognized in the area of Native American Law and is an enrolled member of the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa.
 
Johnson serves on the Board of Trustees for the Udall Foundation. He received an undergraduate degree at the University of St. Thomas and a law degree from the University of Minnesota.