WASHINGTON - Interior Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs Neal A. McCaleb today announced his selection of Jeanette Hanna, currently Director of Planning, Budget and Management Support for the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), as his choice to be the new director of the Bureau's Eastern Oklahoma Regional Office located in Muscogee, Okla. The appointment is effectively immediately.
"I am delighted Ms. Hanna has accepted the directorship of the BIA's Eastern Oklahoma Regional Office," said McCaleb. "With her in-depth knowledge of Bureau operations, experience with tribal governments and unparalleled work ethic, Jeanette is a valuable member of my management team and will be a strong advocate for the eastern Oklahoma tribes."
Hanna, a member of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, has almost 20 years of Federal service. Her professional career began in May 1983 when she joined Representative Wes Watkins' Washington, D.C., office as a staff assistant. She eventually became Legislative Director. In December 1990 she left Watkins' office to join the Interior Department's Office of the Budget as a budget analyst, where she served for two years until taking a senior budget analyst position in the BIA's Division of Program Development and Implementation.
In August 1994, Hanna became the Area Budget Officer for the BIA's Phoenix Area Office, as the regional offices were formerly known, where she served 42 Federally recognized tribes in the states of Arizona, Nevada and Utah. As Area Budget Officer, Hanna was responsible for negotiating with tribes on self-governance compacts and funding levels for P.L. 93-638 contracts. In 1997, she served as Acting Area Director until December of that year when she returned to Washington, D.C., to become the BIA's Deputy Budget Director. Hanna was made Budget Director in November 1998.
"As the BIA's budget chief, Jeanette handled her tough job with aplomb," said McCaleb. "Throughout her career, she has worked in areas of the Federal government that typically don't see many professional American Indian women. Her experience has made her well-equipped to meet the challenge of helping shape the BIA into a modern service agency for the tribes and their members."
Hanna has overseen the BIA's $2 billion budget and agency-wide planning efforts to implement mandates of the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA). She also has served as key staff to a number of Federal/Tribal workgroups on reorganizing the BIA, the Tribal Priority Allocation (TPA) process and other issues.
Jeanette Hanna has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration-Management from East Central State University in Ada, Okla. She received her degree in May 1983.
