TAHLEQUAH, Okla. (AP) – The Cherokee Nation has appointed the tribe’s first secretary of natural resources.

The Tahlequah-based tribe announced the confirmation of longtime Cherokee attorney Sara Hill on Tuesday. The job is a cabinet level position to oversee the tribe’s environmental programs and advise the chief and tribal councilors on land, air and natural resources policies.

The position was created by the 1999 Cherokee Nation Constitution but never filled until Hill’s recent nomination by Principal Chief Bill John Baker.

Tribal councilors unanimously confirmed Hill’s appointment during a meeting on Monday.

Hill has served as the tribe’s deputy attorney general since 2004 and as a special assistant U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma since 2014.