Ernest L. Stevens, Jr. is the Chairman and national spokesman for the National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA) in Washington, DC. Elected in 2001, Mr. Stevens is beginning his second term as the organization's leader. NIGA, established in 1985, is a non-profit organization of 168 Indian Nations with other non-voting associate members representing tribes and businesses engaged in tribal gaming enterprises from around the country.

From 1993 to 1999, Mr. Stevens was an elected councilman for the Oneida Nation. He is a former First Vice-President of the National Congress of American Indians and is currently serving out the final months of his term as Treasurer. As a respected leader in Indian Country, he also serves on the Executive Board to the Native American Rights Fund, the National Indian Child Welfare Association, the Boys and Girls Club of America (Native American Advisory Board), the National Indian Telecommunications Institute, and is Honorary Chair of the Institute of American Indian Art National Indian Support Committee.