Interior Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Eddie Brown will open the second in a series of regional economic development conferences with Indian tribal leaders March 15-16 in Hollywood, Florida. The conference will include tribal representatives from Florida, Louisiana, Maine, New York, North Carolina, Mississippi, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Minnesota, Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin and business and industry leaders from the private sector.
Brown said the meeting would highlight successful Indian economic development efforts and, through consultation with tribal chairmen, define the role for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in the development of Indian community economies. The conference also will present an overview of the roles of federal and tribal governments in economic development and will offer information to tribal leaders on policy options for economic development. "The diversity of economic development projects among tribes suggests that there is no single magical formula that will solve all the problems of unemployment and poverty on Indian lands," Brown said. "The key is to develop a partnership between tribes and the Bureau for both economic development issues and the approaches to resolve them."
The Florida conference at the Diplomat Hotel in Hollywood will consist of a series of panel discussions, addresses, and work groups. Brown's keynote address is scheduled for 9: 30 a.m. on March 15. The first regional conference was held March 1-2 in Phoenix, Arizona. A third conference is tentatively scheduled for Portland, Oregon.
