Martin E, Seneca, Jr., has been named Acting Deputy Commissioner of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior Assistant Secretary Forrest Gerrard announced today.
Seneca, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Martin Seneca Sr., Brant-Reservation Road, Cattaraugus Indian Reservation, will act as the functional and operational head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the agency until the post of the Commissioner is filled on a permanent basis.
A member of the Seneca Indian Nation of New York, Seneca has been serving as the Director of the Office of Trust Responsibilities for the BIA since January, and prior to that time served as Assistant General Counsel for the U.S. Department of Energy. He is a graduate of the Harvard School of Law and earned Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah. Seneca, 36, is a former White House Fellow and was on the faculty of the University Of Utah School Of Law before entering government service.
Gerard said announcing the appointment, "Mr. Seneca brings to this job the valuable managerial and professional skills needed to guide the Bureau through this crucial time."
