The Department of the Interior today announced the selection of Robert D. Holtz, Indian Bureau area director at Minneapolis since 1955, to head the Bureau's area office at Portland, Oregon, effective May 1. He replaces Don C. Foster who retires April 14 after 26 years with the Bureau and seven years as area director at Portland.
In his new post Holtz will supervise all Indian Bureau operations in Washington, Oregon and Idaho. His successor at Minneapolis has not yet been named.
Holtz first came with the Bureau in 1931 as a forest ranger at the Klamath Agency in Oregon and later served in the same capacity at the Zuni Agency in New Mexico, and as forest supervisor at the Papago Agency, Sells, Ariz.
In 1939 he rose to the position of superintendent at the former Truxton Canyon Agency, Valentine, Ariz., and subsequently was superintendent of the Mescalero Agency, Mescalero, N. Mex., and the Fort Apache Agency, Whiteriver, Ariz. In 1951 he became area forester in the area office at Phoenix, Ariz. and after three years in this position was transferred to the Gallup, N. Mex. area office as assistant director for resources. In 1955 he transferred to the same position at Minneapolis and later that year was designated as area director.
A native of Iowa, Holtz received his bachelor of science degree in forestry from Iowa State College at Ames in 1930, and took post graduate work at Oregon State College, Corvallis, Oreg.
