WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. — President-elect Joe Biden has appointed Navajo Nation's Dr. Jill Jim to his Transition COVID-19 Advisory Board.
“I am proud to serve as a member of the Biden-Harris Transition COVID-19 Advisory Board," she said in a statement. "I look forward to working with fellow members of the advisory board to help prepare an urgent, robust and professional response to the global public health crisis, for President-elect Biden to lead with on day one."
Jim has been the Executive Director at Navajo Nation Department of Health since 2019.
According to a release from Navajo Nation, President Jonathan Nez recommended Jim for the appointment.
He shared his satisfaction with the choice in a statement Saturday.
“We are very proud of Dr. Jim and all of our public health experts and frontline warriors who are fighting for us and saving lives every day," said Nez. "I am looking forward to supporting Dr. Jim’s role with the Biden-Harris COVID-19 Advisory Board, and I am optimistic that the Biden-Harris transition team will continue to consider more members of the Navajo Nation for cabinet and high-level appointments as they assemble their administration."
The Transition COVID-19 Advisory Board was created to help President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris combat the pandemic. It has three co-chairs, Dr. David Kessler, Dr. Vivek Murthy and Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, and three members, which Biden named Saturday, alongside Jim.
“As COVID-19 surges across the country, I need a team advising me and a transition that offers diverse perspectives and viewpoints," said Biden. "Ms. Hopkins, Dr. Jim, and Dr. Michaels will strengthen the board’s work and help ensure that our COVID-19 planning will address inequities in health outcomes and the workforce."
