Commissioner of Indian Affairs Louis R. Bruce, today announced that Flore Lekanof, 45, an Aleut and Acting Director of Community Services of the Bureau of Indian Affairs will be Director of Alaska Native Affairs and assume the duties of that post immediately. In that capacity he will coordinate Bureau efforts that will result from enactment of Alaska Native land claims legislation.
In making the announcement Commissioner Bruce said: "This is just the beginning of an immensely complex involvement of the Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Land Management in service to the Native people of Alaska. Other Bureaus of the department are also involved, but to a lesser extent. Among these are the National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife service, Geological Survey and the Bureau of Mines.
"Lekanof will coordinate Alaska Native activities throughout the Bureau and with other Bureaus."
Before coming to BIA’ s Washington Office, Lekanof was Executive Director of Alaska State Community Action Programs (ASCAP) and Chairman of the Alaska Federation of Natives. He was twice elected President of the Aleut League, was a consultant to the Alaska Federation of Natives, and taught in Bureau and Alaskan public schools.
He is active now in the Alaska Federation of Natives and the National Congress of American Indians (NCAl).
Lekanof has a B.A. from Whitworth College, Spokane, Washington, and an M.S. degree from the University of Washington.
