WASHINGTON – Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Neal A. McCaleb today announced that President Bush’s Special Assistant for Domestic Policy, Aquiles F. Suarez, and Jennifer Farley, the White House Associate Director for Inter-Governmental Affairs, will join Interior Secretary Gale Norton in leading a host of Federal speakers at the National Summit on Emerging Tribal Economies to be held September 16-19, 2002 in Phoenix, Ariz. Also representing the Department will be Assistant Secretary McCaleb and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Budget and Finance Nina Hatfield.
Suarez and Farley will represent President Bush at the event and will provide White House support for the conference goal of developing strategies to create 100,000 new jobs in Indian Country by the year 2008 and to establish sustainable, market-driven tribal economies by 2020. Attendees representing tribes from across the nation will hear from and interact with government and business officials offering insights and resources for improving economic conditions in Indian Country. The event will showcase 120 successful Indian businesses.
Other speakers include Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael K. Powell; FCC Commissioner Michael J. Copps; Lou Gallegos, Assistant Secretary for Administration, Department of Agriculture; Louis Kincannon, Director, Bureau of the Census and Ronald N. Langston, National Director, Minority Business Development Agency, Department of Commerce; Larry Meeker, Vice President, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City; Rodger Boyd, Program Manager, Community Development Financial Institution, Department of the Treasury; Frank M. Ramos, Director, Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, Department of Defense; Scott Denniston, Director, Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, Department of Veterans Affairs and Susan Houser, Director of Strategic Planning, Marketing and Sales, General Services Administration.
WHO: Aquiles F. Suarez, Special Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy Jennifer Farley, Associate Director for Inter-Governmental Affairs, the White House Gale Norton, Secretary, U.S. Department of the Interior Neal A. McCaleb, Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs, USDOI Nina Hatfield, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Budget and Finance, USDOI
WHAT: National Summit on Emerging Tribal Economies, a major initiative for developing strategies to create 100,000 new jobs in Indian Country by the year 2008 and to establish sustainable, market-driven tribal economies by 2020.
WHEN: September 16-19, 2002 (all start times are local time): September 16: 8:30 a.m. September 17: 8:00 a.m. September 18: 8:15 a.m. September 19: 8:15 a.m.
WHERE: Phoenix Civic Plaza, Exhibit Hall A, 111 N. 3rd St., Phoenix, Ariz.
CREDENTIALS: Press registration will be provided. Please bring your sanctioned media credentials and if possible, wear on your shirt collar or around your neck for easy viewing. This will assist our staff. Media are advised to be in place by 7:30 a.m. on September 17. Press seating will be provided. The program will not begin until 8:00 a.m. For conference registration, agenda and other information visit www.doi.gov/special or www.lakotamall.com/nationalsummit.
