Interior Assistant Secretary Ken Smith today appointed six provisional regional directors to a 30-day detail as part of the proposed major realignment of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
In addition, he named four provisional Assistant Directors of Education for the same period to fill the proposed slots planned under the realignment of the Bureau's education division.
Smith said the new directors will continue the consultation process with tribal leaders on proposed future plans for the Bureau.
The six newly named provisional regional directors and the proposed regions in which they will consult with tribal leaders are:
Sid Mills, Southwest Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico: New Mexico, Colorado and eastern Utah.
Earl Barlow, Northeast Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, New York, and Maine.
Stanley Speaks, Southern Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Oklahoma, Kansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Florida.
Bill Babby, Western Center, Phoenix, Arizona: Arizona, southern Nevada, southern Utah, and southern and central California.
Vince Little, Northwest Center, Portland, Oregon: Washington, Oregon, Idaho, the northern parts of California and Nevada, western Montana, and the Metlakatla Reservation in southern Alaska.
Jerry Jaeger, North Central Center, Rapid City, South Dakota: Eastern Montana, Wyoming, North and South Dakota and Nebraska.
Mills, Barlow and Little are presently serving as Area Directors in the areas proposed as location of the new regional technical assistance service centers. Speaks is now Area Director in Anadarko, Oklahoma; Babby is presently Area Director in Sacramento; and Jaeger is Area Director in Aberdeen. South Dakota.
The four new provisional Assistant Directors of Education and the areas in which they will serve for a 30-day detail are:
Dr. Helen Miller, Northeast Center, Minneapolis: Same areas to be served by the BIA North Central and Northeast regional service centers.
Van Peters, Northwest Center, and Portland: Includes the areas of the BIA Northwest regional service center, Alaska, and some tribes in Montana.
Harry Eagle Bull, Southeast Center, Oklahoma City: Serves the same area as the BIA southern regional service center.
Peter Soto, Southwest Center, and Phoenix: Will serve the entire southwest quadrant of the country, 1nclud1ng the area of the Albuquerque BIA regional service center.
The new provisional Assistant Area Directors for Education are all serving as area education program administrators in their prospective new centers with the exception of Eagle Bull who is presently located in Aberdeen, S.D. Under the proposed new realignment for education, the 12 present areas would be reduced to four regions and the Assistant Directors for Education will have direct line authority over the education programs in their areas. The educational offices will co-exist with other BIA operations in the different locations.
Smith has asked his Deputy for Operations, John Fritz, to assume the responsibility to see that the consultation process is carried out in a proper and timely manner.
"I have instructed our six new provisional regional directors and our education assistant directors to carry out a true consultation process," Fritz said. "We want to determine if the service needs of our clientele -- the Indian people -- will be met by our new proposals. If we determine that our proposed realignment does not substantially meet the needs of our clientele then we will consider our plan amendable," he added.
The Deputy for Operations pointed out that the next 30 days will be a continuation of the consultation process began last week when he, Assistant Secretary Smith and Deputy for Policy, Roy Sampsel, met with representatives of Indian organizations, BIA central office employees and some 100 members of Congressional staffs. Direct contact with Members of Congress took place over a three day period beginning on February 12.
Fritz said the service needs of the Indian people were at the heart of this proposed reorganization. "That is why we are reducing our overhead and management costs by $16 million while increasing by $55 million the monies earmarked directly for programs that serve Indian people on the reservations," he added.
"I have also asked our provisional directors to begin the analysis having to do with staffing patterns, organizational structure, etc. for the proposed regions along with their consultation process," Fritz pointed out. He said this was important because this streamlined management concept is designed to the differing and specific needs of Indian country far into the future.
To insure the continuity of service during this consultation process, Fritz has named seven acting area directors in those present BIA area offices whose directors have been detailed to continue the consultation process. Those seven areas are: Aberdeen, Will Bowker, now serving as Assistant Area Director, Portland; Albuquerque, Barry Welch; Anadarko, Chuck Delaney; Minneapolis, Frank Annette; Phoenix, Rusty Farmer who is now Assistant Area Director in Aberdeen; Portland, Peter Three Stars, Superintendent at Western Washington Agency in Everett, Washington; and Sacramento, Eddie Edwards.
