Interior Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Eddie F. Brown will keynote the fourth in a series of regional economic development conferences with Indian tribal leaders May 21-22 in Seattle, Washington. The conference will include tribal representatives from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Alaska and California and business and industry leaders from the private sector.
Brown said the meeting will 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, state 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 Seattle conference will be held at the Radisson Hotel at the Seattle Airport, 17001 Pacific Highway south. Brown will give the opening address on May 21 at 9:45 a.m. He will hold a press conference at 1 p.m. on May 22 at the hotel.
This fourth economic development conference follows similar consultation sessions with Indian tribal leaders in Scottsdale, Arizona, Hollywood, Florida and Oklahoma City.
