Ernest House, Jr.

About Ernest

• I grew up in a tribal leadership family—my father was a longtime tribal leader for the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and my great-grandfather was the last hereditary chief of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe.
• The things we’re still fighting for—hunting rights, fishing rights, and water rights—were instilled in me from a young age.
• At 23 years old, I became the executive director for the Colorado Commission of Indian Affairs.
• As executive director, I served as the official liaison between the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, the Ute Mountain Ute Indian Tribe, and the State of Colorado.
• I spent 12 years with the Colorado Commission of Indian Affairs before joining Keystone Policy Center as the senior policy director.