OPA

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Acting Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Donald E. “Del” Laverdure lauded Darwin Cajero, a student at the Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute (SIPI) in Albuquerque, N.M., who was a featured speaker at the sesquicentennial celebration of the Morrill Land-grant Act of 1862, this past Tuesday, June 26, 2012, at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center.

“I am pleased to see SIPI and Mr. Cajero in the spotlight with the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) and nearly 600 public university leaders and others from government, philanthropy and business to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Morrill Land-grant Act,” said Laverdure. “To be considered for this honor Mr. Cajero went through an extensive competitive selection process. His story is a testimony to all Native students who are actively making a difference seeking higher education and devoting their knowledge to their respective communities in Indian Country.”

The Morrill Land-grant Act was written by Senator Justin Smith Morrill of Vermont and signed into law on July 2, 1862, by President Abraham Lincoln. The legislation provided grants of federal lands to the states for the establishment of public universities and led to the democratization of higher education. The American Indian Higher Education Consortium , a national association of tribal colleges and universities (TCUs), also is celebrating the federal land-grant status of its 37 member institutions during the APLU’s national convocation. Cajero, who is serving as the TCU representative, was selected through a national competition..

“The scientific knowledge that I’ve gained has given me a wider view of our natural resources on the reservation,” said Cajero. “With education and experience I can help the tribe to address the areas of wildlife management, water quality, green energy and land use. I am grateful for my experiences and use them as a basis to mentor individuals from Jemez and students on campus— I don’t mind sharing what I have learned.”

Cajero is a tribal member from the Jemez Pueblo in New Mexico. He is the proud father of two daughters aged 14 and 10. He commutes 55 miles daily to attend SIPI where he is currently studying for an Associate’s degree in Natural Resources and a Certificate in Geospatial Information Technology. He has field experience in utilizing geospatial technology to map water resources for his Pueblo and is currently employed as an intern in the tribe’s natural resource department. Cajero is committed to pursuing his education, caring for his family, and fulfilling his traditional cultural obligations to his community as designated by his elders. He is an accomplished carpenter, homebuilder and enjoys hunting, horseback riding, and archery.

SIPI is a national Indian community college established in 1971 at the request of the 19 Pueblos of New Mexico and other federally recognized tribes in the U.S. to help train American Indians and Alaska Native for employment. It is one of 37 tribal colleges designated as 1994 land-grant institutions and is one of two post secondary institutions directly operated by the Bureau of Indian Education. It is advised by a national, tribally appointed Board of Regents. SIPI provides career technical training and transfer degree programs to students from the nation’s federally recognized tribes. It offers competitive job training programs; granting of Associate of Applied Science, Associate of Arts and Associate of Science degrees; and opportunities to transfer into four-year degree programs.

The Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs in the U.S. Department of the Interior oversees the Bureau of Indian Education. The bureau implements federal education laws, such as the No Child Left Behind Act, in and provides funding to 183 elementary and secondary day and boarding schools and peripheral dormitories located on 64 reservations in 23 states serving over 40,000 students from the nation’s federally recognized tribes. Approximately two-thirds are tribally operated with the rest BIE-operated. The bureau also serves post secondary students through higher education scholarships and support funding to 26 tribal colleges and universities and two tribal technical colleges. In addition to SIPI, it also directly operates Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kan.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Acting Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Donald E. “Del” Laverdure today announced that the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) has provided $50,000 in a one-time emergency funding for the Emmonak Women’s Shelter in the Yup’ik Eskimo village of Emmonak, Alaska. The village’s only facility offering domestic violence protection is facing imminent closure due to a funding shortfall.

“By providing this one-time funding, the Bureau of Indian Affairs re-emphasizes the Administration’s support for the prevention of domestic violence,” Laverdure said. “The protection of American Indian and Alaska Native victims of domestic violence is a priority for me and Secretary Salazar, and it is important that the Emmonak Women’s Shelter be able to continue offering help to those who need it.”

The 34-year old facility serves families that live in the Emmonak region, including 13 rural villages surrounding Emmonak, and reportedly serves about 500 women and children each year. It is currently operating under a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Violence Against Women, but is not expected to receive notification of new awards until September.

The BIA Office of Indian Services provided the one-time emergency funding to the Emmonak Village, a federally recognized tribe, under its Tribal Priority Allocation authority. The tribe, in turn, will send the funds to the shelter.

Emmonak Village is located approximately 500 air miles northwest of the city of Anchorage, and the Emmonak Women’s Shelter is one of two in the state that offers domestic violence shelter and services for Alaska Natives living in the state’s rural areas. The other is the Tundra Women’s Coalition (TWC) in Bethel, several hundred miles from Emmonak.

The Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs oversees the BIA, which is headed by a director who is responsible for managing day-to-day operations through four offices – Indian Services, Justice Services, Trust Services and Field Operations – that administer or fund tribally based infrastructure, law enforcement, social services, tribal governance, natural and energy resources and trust management programs for the nation’s federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes and villages through 12 regional offices and 85 agencies.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Acting Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Donald E. “Del” Laverdure today announced that he has named Thomas D. Thompson as director of the Indian Affairs Office of Budget Management at the agency’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. Thompson, an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma, comes to the Interior Department from the Indian Health Service (IHS) in Phoenix, Ariz., where he had been serving as senior advisor to the area director since June 2010.

“The director of budget management for Indian Affairs plays a vital role in our effort to streamline the Indian Affairs organization to deliver efficient and cost-effective services to Indian Country,” Laverdure said. “Thomas Thompson is an experienced federal financial manager who has developed and deployed strategies that have increased efficiency, lowered costs, and raised productivity in federal programs. I am very pleased that he joined my team to help us achieve our financial management goals.”

“I am very grateful for this opportunity to return to the Interior Department to work with Acting Assistant Secretary Laverdure as part of his financial management leadership team,” Thompson said. “I have confidence the improvements made to Indian Affairs’ service delivery processes and systems will increase their overall effectiveness for Indian Affairs employees and the tribes we serve.”

The director of the Office of Budget Management provides leadership to ensure that Indian Affairs’ budget policy and appropriations support program continuity and are consistent with its mission. The director also establishes policies and procedures for the budget execution function that ensure compliance with Office of Management and Budget (OMB) requirements, and directs all budget management functions and formulation activities in collaboration with IA program and planning offices and the IA Office of Congressional and Legislative Affairs.

Thompson has over 14 years of federal service, starting in October 1997 as superintendent of the Bureau of Indian Affairs Ft. Belknap Agency in Harlem, Mont. In December 2000, he became director of the IHS Phoenix Area Office’s Division of Financial Management.

In 2002, he joined the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR) as Finance Director, where he served as senior advisor to the director on all matters related to resource and financial management. As such, he played a major role in FDA’s efforts to modernize and update its administrative support services and program accountability systems.

In October 2003, Thompson returned to the IHS Phoenix Area Office as the financial management division director, a post he held until September 2005. While serving as senior financial advisor for health programs throughout the Phoenix Area he helped develop and implement a strategic plan to enhance patient services through increased revenues and more effective management practices.

Thompson was promoted in September 2005 to Chief Financial Officer and Director of the Office of Finance and Accounting in IHS’s headquarters in Rockville, Md., where he was responsible for a $4.1 billion health delivery network across Indian Country generating over $540 million in patient revenues. He oversaw the development of a performance-based budget formulation methodology to improve decision making for effective use of scarce resources and that linked budgets to performance to improve efficiency in program planning. In June 2010, he returned to the Phoenix Area as senior advisor to the area director, where he provided upper level program, operational, budgetary and financial analysis on special projects to senior management.

Prior to his federal career, Thompson held from July 1975 to August 1995 several management positions with the Cherokee Nation including financial controller, executive director of tribal operations, president and CEO of gaming operations, and secretary and treasurer. From January 1992 until October 1997, Thomas owned and operated an accounting firm, Thompson & Company, in Stilwell, Okla., which provided management, audit, accounting, and tax planning and preparation services to public and private sector and tribal clients.

Thompson received an associate’s degree in accounting from the Oklahoma State University School of Technical Training in Okmulgee (1973), and holds Certified Public Accountant licenses from the states of Oklahoma, Arkansas and Montana. He is a member of the Oklahoma Society of Certified Public Accountants and the Arizona Society of Certified Public Accountants. He also has served on various boards and committees including the Oklahoma Society of Certified Public Accountants Governmental Accounting Committee, the Tahlequah Chamber of Commerce, the Eastern Oklahoma Development District, the Cherokee Nation Outpost Corporation, the Cherokee Nation Trust Authority, Cherokee Nation Industries, and the Christian Children’s Fund.

FLAGSTAFF, AZ —Government-to-government tribal consultation will occur Friday, July 20, 2012 in Arizona regarding a proposal that would help the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) achieve the objectives of President Obama’s Executive Order 13592 concerning improving educational opportunities provided to American Indian and Alaska Native students.

The proposal would allow BIE to utilize an accountability system based on a unitary set of academic standards and assessments in the BIE-funded schools, rather than the current system that is based on 23 states’ standards and assessments. In February 2012, the U.S. Department of Education began granting flexibility waivers from the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) to 19 states. Eighteen additional states and the District of Columbia have submitted flexibility waiver requests with decisions expected soon. In exchange for these flexibility waivers the states have agreed to implement bold reforms around standards and accountability, which include raising standards, improving accountability, and generally implementing essential changes to improve teacher effectiveness. The Department of Education’s decision to provide these flexibility waivers followed extensive efforts to work with Congress to amend requirements that the NCLB introduced into the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). The ESEA is five years overdue for reauthorization.

More information and materials can be found at: http://www.bie.edu/consultation/index.htm

CREDENTIALS: All media must present government-issued photo I.D. (such as a driver’s license) and valid media credentials.

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WASHINGTON – The Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services (OJS) will hold the first in a series of six training sessions to improve the trial advocacy skills of tribal court prosecutors, defenders and judges. The July 24-26, 2012 training session will be held in Duluth, Minn., and will focus on domestic violence.

The training is being conducted under the Tribal Court Trial Advocacy Training Program, a joint effort by the Department of the Interior and the Department of Justice that furthers the mandate of the Tribal Law and Order Act of 2010 (TOLA) to strengthen tribal sovereignty over criminal justice matters on federal Indian lands by strengthening the skills of those who practice within the tribal court system.

The program is the result of a collaborative effort by the OJS and DOJ’s Access to Justice Initiative (AJI) to offer trial advocacy training with courses designed specifically for tribal courts and free training to the judges, public defenders and prosecutors who work in them. Training is provided in three areas – domestic abuse, illegal narcotics and sexual assault on children and adults – with faculty and instructional materials prepared by experts knowledgeable about tribal court issues. The program is unique because it also has training specifically for public defenders.

The remaining sessions will be held August 14-16, 2012, in Durango, Colo.; September 11-13, 2012, in Great Falls, Mont.; October 2-4, 2012, in Seattle, Wash.; October 23-25, 2012, in Chinle, Ariz.; and January 15-17, 2013, in Albuquerque, N.M.

CREDENTIALS: This invitation is extended to credentialed media representatives, who must display sanctioned media credentials for admittance to the event.

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SEATTLE, WASH. —Government-to-government tribal consultation will occur Tuesday, July 24, 2012 in Seattle regarding a proposal that would help the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) achieve the objectives of President Obama’s Executive Order 13592 concerning improving educational opportunities provided to American Indian and Alaska Native students.

The proposal would empower tribes to exercise greater control over education and reestablish tribal sovereignty through the adoption of Common Core Standards and allow tribally focused standards addressing language, culture and history; moving away from state standards and assessments. Additionally, by allowing BIE to utilize an accountability system based on a unitary set of academic standards and assessments in BIE-funded schools the BIE could move away from the current structure of reporting on 23 states’ standards and assessments.

In February 2012, the U.S. Department of Education began granting flexibility waivers from the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). Forty-two states have submitted flexibility waiver requests and 19 of those states include BIE schools. In exchange for these flexibility waivers the states have agreed to implement bold reforms around standards and accountability, which include raising standards, improving accountability, and generally implementing essential changes to improve teacher effectiveness. The Department of Education’s decision to provide these flexibility waivers followed extensive efforts to work with Congress to amend requirements that the NCLB introduced into the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). The ESEA is five years overdue for reauthorization.

More information and materials can be found at: http://www.bie.edu/consultation/index.htm

CREDENTIALS: All media must present government-issued photo I.D. (such as a driver’s license) and valid media credentials.

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BISMARCK, N.D. —Government-to-government tribal consultation will occur Friday, July 27, 2012 in Bismarck regarding a proposal that would help the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) achieve the objectives of President Obama’s Executive Order 13592 concerning improving educational opportunities provided to American Indian and Alaska Native students.

The proposal would empower tribes to exercise greater control over education and reestablish tribal sovereignty through the adoption of Common Core Standards and allow tribally focused standards addressing language, culture and history; moving away from state standards and assessments. Additionally, by allowing BIE to utilize an accountability system based on a unitary set of academic standards and assessments in BIE-funded schools the BIE could move away from the current structure of reporting on 23 states’ standards and assessments.

In February 2012, the U.S. Department of Education began granting flexibility waivers from the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). Forty-two states have submitted flexibility waiver requests and 19 of those states include BIE schools. In exchange for these flexibility waivers the states have agreed to implement bold reforms around standards and accountability, which include raising standards, improving accountability, and generally implementing essential changes to improve teacher effectiveness. The Department of Education’s decision to provide these flexibility waivers followed extensive efforts to work with Congress to amend requirements that the NCLB introduced into the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). The ESEA is five years overdue for reauthorization.

More information and materials can be found at: http://www.bie.edu/consultation/index.htm

CREDENTIALS: All media must present government-issued photo I.D. (such as a driver’s license) and valid media credentials.

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WASHINGTON -- Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today praised President Obama’s signing of the Helping Expedite and Advance Responsible Tribal Homeownership Act (HEARTH Act) which grants greater authority to federally recognized tribes to develop and implement their own regulations for leasing on Indian lands. The Act passed the House and Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support and was signed into law today by President Obama.

“The HEARTH Act underscores President Obama’s commitment to empower Indian nations and strengthen their economies by expanding opportunities for tribal governments,” said Secretary Salazar. “This legislation complements the work we are doing at Interior to undertake the most comprehensive reforms of Indian land leasing regulations in more than 50 years. These parallel efforts will have a real impact for individuals and families who want to own a home or build a business – generating investment, new jobs and revenues.”

Under the HEARTH Act, federally recognized tribes can develop and implement their own land leasing regulations. Upon approval of these tribal regulations by the Secretary of the Interior, tribes will have the authority to process land leases without Bureau of Indian Affairs approval. This new authority has the potential to significantly reduce the time it takes to approve leases for homes and small businesses in Indian Country.

“The HEARTH Act has been a legislative priority for Interior because it advances the authority and ability of federally-recognized tribes to control their homelands and provides them greater self-determination,” said Acting Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Donald E. “Del” Laverdure. “We are moving forward to finalize our internal reforms at Indian Affairs that will bring greater transparency, efficiency and workability to the Bureau of Indian Affairs approval process.”

In 2011, Salazar announced a sweeping reform of federal surface leasing regulations for American Indian lands that will streamline the approval process for home ownership, expedite economic development and spur renewable energy development in Indian Country.

The proposed rule would modify regulations governing the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ process for approving the lease of surface acres on lands the federal government holds in trust for tribes and individuals. As trustee, Interior is responsible for managing approximately 56 million surface acres in Indian Country.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Acting Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Donald E. “Del” Laverdure today announced that the U.S. Department of the Interior will conduct a series of listening sessions with federally-recognized tribes regarding American Indian sacred sites located on federal lands.

“It is critical that we listen to tribal people about sensitive and significant cultural issues concerning sacred sites,” said Laverdure. “Our nation-to-nation relationship is one that is based upon mutual respect, and that includes an on-going dialogue about places central to Indian identity and cultural ways of life.”

The Obama Administration recognizes that the protection of sacred sites on federal lands is integral to traditional religious practices, tribal identities and emblematic of sovereign tribal nations. These sacred site listening sessions are intended to assist in developing policies that result in effective, comprehensive and long-lasting federal protection of, and tribal access to, the places that are so important to the fabric and culture of tribal nations.

To address tribal concerns regarding sacred sites issues, Interior will conduct listening sessions on sacred sites in general, as well as knowledge relating to specific sites on Interior-managed tribal trust and other federal lands. The Department will be better equipped to make decisions that are sensitive to the ceremonial use and physical integrity of sacred sites through the benefit of tribal input and views on such matters.

“We invite recognized leaders of tribal governments and, if a tribe so elects, extend the invitation to designated spiritual leaders granted authority by the recognized tribal leadership to participate as tribal officials.” Laverdure said. “Tribal leaders have worked very hard with Interior in the past on these issues and we acknowledge their tireless efforts and hard work.”

Interior is seeking input regarding sacred sites, including:

• Meanings of sacred sites and whether the Department should attempt to define the term “sacred site”;

• Personal views of existing Departmental practices or policies, if any, that should be revised to protect sacred sites and steps necessary to make appropriate revisions;

• Potential development of Departmental practices or policies to protect sacred sites;

• How the Department should facilitate tribal access to sacred sites;

• How the Department should control and grant access to tribally provided information regarding sacred sites;

• Whom the Department should include (recognized leaders of tribal government, tribal spiritual leaders, et.al.) in determining whether a site is considered “sacred” by a tribe.

The Office of the Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs will conduct the sacred sites listening sessions at the following dates and times:

Because many Indian tribes have belief systems that discourage or even prohibit the disclosure of the location or other information about sacred sites and places, Interior will respect tribal requests that information about such locations be kept confidential and only share this information with appropriate agency personnel.

For all those unable to attend any of these listening sessions, please send your input/suggestions by September 21, 2012, via email to consultation@bia.gov or the U.S. Department of the Interior, attn.: Mr. Dion Killsback, Counselor to the Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs, 1849 C Street, NW, MS 4141-MIB, Washington, DC 20240. Should you have additional questions, Mr. Killsback can be reached at (202) 208-6939.

The Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs discharges the duties of the Secretary of the Interior with the authority and direct responsibility to strengthen the government-to-government relationship with the nation’s 566 federally recognized tribes, advocate policies that support Indian self-determination, protect and preserve Indian trust assets, and administer a wide array of laws, regulations and functions relating to American Indian and Alaska Native tribes, tribal members and individual trust beneficiaries. The Assistant Secretary oversees the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Bureau of Indian Education. For more information, visit www.indianaffairs.gov.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Acting Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Donald E. “Del” Laverdure today announced that the U.S. Department of the Interior will conduct a series of listening sessions with federally-recognized tribes regarding American Indian sacred sites located on federal lands.

“It is critical that we listen to tribal people about sensitive and significant cultural issues concerning sacred sites,” said Laverdure. “Our nation-to-nation relationship is one that is based upon mutual respect, and that includes an on-going dialogue about places central to Indian identity and cultural ways of life.”

The Obama Administration recognizes that the protection of sacred sites on federal lands is integral to traditional religious practices, tribal identities and emblematic of sovereign tribal nations. These sacred site listening sessions are intended to assist in developing policies that result in effective, comprehensive and long-lasting federal protection of, and tribal access to, the places that are so important to the fabric and culture of tribal nations.

To address tribal concerns regarding sacred sites issues, Interior will conduct listening sessions on sacred sites in general, as well as knowledge relating to specific sites on Interior-managed tribal trust and other federal lands. The Department will be better equipped to make decisions that are sensitive to the ceremonial use and physical integrity of sacred sites through the benefit of tribal input and views on such matters.

“We invite recognized leaders of tribal governments and, if a tribe so elects, extend the invitation to designated spiritual leaders granted authority by the recognized tribal leadership to participate as tribal officials.” Laverdure said. “Tribal leaders have worked very hard with Interior in the past on these issues and we acknowledge their tireless efforts and hard work.”

Interior is seeking input regarding sacred sites, including:

• Meanings of sacred sites and whether the Department should attempt to define the term “sacred site”;

• Personal views of existing Departmental practices or policies, if any, that should be revised to protect sacred sites and steps necessary to make appropriate revisions;

• Potential development of Departmental practices or policies to protect sacred sites;

• How the Department should facilitate tribal access to sacred sites;

• How the Department should control and grant access to tribally provided information regarding sacred sites;

• Whom the Department should include (recognized leaders of tribal government, tribal spiritual leaders, et.al.) in determining whether a site is considered “sacred” by a tribe.

The Office of the Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs will conduct the sacred sites listening sessions at the following dates and times:

Because many Indian tribes have belief systems that discourage or even prohibit the disclosure of the location or other information about sacred sites and places, Interior will respect tribal requests that information about such locations be kept confidential and only share this information with appropriate agency personnel.

For all those unable to attend any of these listening sessions, please send your input/suggestions by September 21, 2012, via email to consultation@bia.gov or the U.S. Department of the Interior, attn.: Mr. Dion Killsback, Counselor to the Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs, 1849 C Street, NW, MS 4141-MIB, Washington, DC 20240. Should you have additional questions, Mr. Killsback can be reached at (202) 208-6939.

The Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs discharges the duties of the Secretary of the Interior with the authority and direct responsibility to strengthen the government-to-government relationship with the nation’s 566 federally recognized tribes, advocate policies that support Indian self-determination, protect and preserve Indian trust assets, and administer a wide array of laws, regulations and functions relating to American Indian and Alaska Native tribes, tribal members and individual trust beneficiaries. The Assistant Secretary oversees the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Bureau of Indian Education. For more information, visit www.indianaffairs.gov.