WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate in a unanimous vote Thursday night, Nov. 18, approved the nomination of Chuck Sams as National Park Service director.

Sams is a former longtime administrator for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation near Pendleton and the former area representative on the Pacific Northwest Electric Power and Conservation Planning Council.

Less than two weeks before the Senate confirmed the first American Indian to head the service in its 105-year history, Sams was in Pendleton as a representative of the Oregon Cultural Trust at a dedication ceremony for a mural of Pendleton cowboy George Fletcher.

A former naval intelligence officer, Sams shared a short message on Facebook with his friends and family following his confirmation.

“I am so deeply honored to be appointed by President Biden and to be confirmed by unanimous consent by the United States Senate to be the 19th Director of the United States National Park Service “ he wrote. “Thank you all who have supported me in my life’s journey. I look forward to being of service to this Great Nation once again.”

Prior to his appointment to the Pacific Northwest Electric Power and Conservation Council, Sams was best known for his work in CTUIR tribal government, where he worked as a communications director, deputy executive director and interim executive director.

His former colleagues in tribal government offered him support and pride in a CTUIR press release.

“Chuck knows the outdoors,” CTUIR Board of Trustees Chair Kat Brigham said in a statement. “He understands the importance of helping families develop a relationship with the land.”

CTUIR tribal elder Antone Minthorn called him “honorable, loyal and accountable” while Bobbie Conner, the director of the Tamastslikt Cultural Institute and a tribal historian, said he was “unflappable.”

“(He) is known for being steady at the helm and taking challenges in stride,” Conner said. “Chuck was raised to always consider future generations.”

Teara Farrow Furman, the second person to succeed Sams as interim executive director of the CTUIR, is one of the many tribal leaders to grow up with him and then serve with him as adults in tribal government. She said she texted Sams throughout the confirmation process, sending him words of encouragement.

“I texted him all along the journey,’’ she said. “I told him, ‘Our ancestors are looking down upon you and guiding you.’”

Farrow Furman said she and Sams are both Cayuse descendents and understand their tribe’s historic role in fighting for their land. She said Sams will understand his role in preserving park land to ensure its accessible to every American resident and visitor.

“He’s a good leader,’ she said. “He’ll do well.”

During the confirmation process, Sams had some powerful supporters, including Gov. Kate Brown and U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon.

The vote came after Wyden went to the Senate floor and asked the Senate to pass the nomination by unanimous consent, according to a press release from Wyden’s office.

“Chuck Sams is the right nominee to lead the National Park Service as it addresses these challenges. I know Chuck. He is hardworking. He is committed,” Wyden said in the press release. “Chuck is a role model in the stewardship of American land and waters, wildlife and history. And now thanks to the Senate’s unanimous decision to confirm his nomination, Congress and parkgoers will have someone steady and experienced to rely on in the years ahead.”