OPA

WASHINGTON, DC– On Wednesday, January 16, 2013, the Department of the Interior will participate in a 2:00 pm (Eastern Time) conference call and webinar hosted by the National Congress of American Indians to inform and clarify roles and responsibilities regarding the recent Cobell Settlement trust administration class payments. Representatives from the Department of the Interior, Cobell plaintiffs’ legal counsel, and the court appointed Claims Administrator (the Garden City Group) will provide important information to tribal leaders across the country regarding the status of the payments to members of the historical accounting class and the next steps in the process of finalizing this historic Settlement.

“The Department is committed to providing accurate and current information to our beneficiaries regarding the historic Cobell Settlement,” said Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Kevin Washburn, “and OST and BIA leadership are working closely to ensure the OST Trust Beneficiary Call Center and the field operations in the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Office of the Special Trustee are providing this information in a timely manner.”

Eligibility determinations and payments are made exclusively by Garden City Group, and they can be reached at www.IndianTrust.com or 1-800-961-6109. To update addresses or identify “Whereabouts Unknown” Individual Indian Money (IIM) accounts, please contact Garden City Group. Garden City Group will work with OST to update your information. For more information, please visit the Department of the Interior Cobell website at http://www.doi.gov/cobell.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Kevin K. Washburn today announced the collaborative initiative between the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Spirit Lake Tribe of North Dakota to improve the health, safety and welfare of children being placed in foster care through the use of mobile fingerprinting units. Under the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006, all adults in a household where minor children are to be placed must be fingerprinted as an integral part of the background investigation.

“The collaboration by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Spirit Lake Tribe to expedite the fingerprinting process for foster homes demonstrates our joint commitment to protect the children while improving the efficiency of foster care services on the Fort Totten Indian Reservation,” Washburn said. “I thank the Tribe’s leaders for their cooperation and support in ensuring that Spirit Lake’s children will be placed with adults who will protect and nurture them.”

“The Spirit Lake Sioux Tribe is looking forward to the continued collaboration with the Bureau of Indian Affairs on this project as we move forward to strengthen the protection afforded the most vulnerable citizens in our tribe,” said Spirit Lake Chairman Roger Yankton.

On January 8, 2013, the Bureau of Indian Affairs Great Plains Region and Office of Justice Services provided fingerprint training to tribal and BIA Social Services staff at the BIA Fort Totten Agency. The Agency has received three mobile fingerprinting units that its social services staff will utilize for in-home fingerprinting of adults in foster homes where children in protected care may be placed.

BIA-Spirit Lake Initiative – Page 2

These mobile fingerprinting units will serve as a positive influence throughout the communities and the reservation by lessening the burden on potential foster families who currently have to devote large amounts of time and engage in extensive travel to provide this critical service.

In September 2012, the BIA agreed to Spirit Lake’s request to assume administrative responsibility for the Tribe’s social services program. In a September 14, 2012 letter, the Tribe stated it “would be in the best interest of the Tribe, its children, and its families, to voluntarily return the program to the Secretary of [the] Interior.”

A retrocession means the return to the Secretary of a contracted program, in whole or in part, for any reason, before the expiration of the term of the contract by an Indian tribe or tribal organization, either one year from the date of the request, the date the contract expires, or a mutually agreed-upon date. The effective date of the retrocession of the Spirit Lake Social Services Program was October 1, 2012. The BIA has continued to work with the Tribe since that time to ensure an effective transition of the program from the Tribe to the BIA.

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.

WASHINGTON – The Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services (OJS) will hold the last in a series of six training sessions to improve the trial advocacy skills of tribal court prosecutors, defenders and judges on January 15-17, 2013, in Albuquerque, N.M. This training session will focus on cases dealing with illegal narcotics.

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 sharpening 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.

Previous sessions in this training series were held starting on July 24-26, 2012, in Duluth, Minn.; Aug. 14-16, in Ignacio, Colo.; Sept. 11-13 in Great Falls, Mont.; Oct. 23-25 in Chinle, Ariz.; and Nov. 13-15 in Seattle, Wash.

Tribal Court Trial Advocacy Training – Page 2

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

-DOI-

WASHINGTON – Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk joined Rosebud Sioux Tribe President Rodney Bordeaux and a gathering of students and community members on September 27 at a groundbreaking ceremony for the Interior Department’s 4,000th project funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) at the St. Francis Indian School, a Bureau of Indian Education funded school on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation in South Dakota. ARRA funds will be used to build a new gymnasium and food service kitchen for students in grades 7-12 as well as a bus barn for school vehicles.

“By ensuring that St. Francis students have facilities that address their nutrition and fitness needs, this new gymnasium and kitchen/dining complex will be an important foundation for their academic progress,” Echo Hawk said. “Children are our most precious resource. We must do everything in our power to help Indian Country nurture its next generation of tribal leaders, professionals and community members.”

In a warm welcome to the Assistant Secretary on behalf of the Rosebud Sioux community, President Bordeaux said, “It’s not often we get people from Washington, D.C., here. It’s good that he came to see Indian Country and it’s good that he came to see us, the Sicangu Oyate Lakota.”

Echo Hawk met with tribal officials before the ceremony, where he was accompanied by his policy advisor, Wizipan Garriott, himself a Rosebud tribal member and a St. Francis graduate, and Jack Rever, Director of the Indian Affairs Office of Facilities, Environmental and Cultural Resources. OFECR’s Office of Facilities Management and Construction is responsible for all Indian Affairs school construction, improvements and repairs, including those funded by the recovery act. Also in attendance were OFMC Director Emerson Eskeets and Brian Drapeaux, Chief of Staff to the Director of the Bureau of Indian Education.

Garriott recalled his time spent at St. Francis while sending a message of commitment and hope. He encouraged attendees to make their communities better by working harder and putting children and families first. And he drew upon personal experience as a lesson in perseverance: “I’ve been told many times that I could not achieve what I’ve been able to do. Don’t let anyone tell you that you cannot go someplace or achieve your goals.”

The St. Francis Indian School is a K-12 school located in St. Francis, a small town on the Rosebud Indian Reservation located in Todd County and one of the poorest reservations in the nation. While a replacement middle/high school was built in 2007, no funding was available for the school’s gymnasium and food service kitchen. Middle and high school students currently must walk outside to reach the elementary school 150 yards away to eat meals, which is especially difficult in inclement South Dakota weather. This has resulted in long lunch periods and rushed service. The existing gym was built in 1960 and at 50 years old has outlived its expected 25-to-30-year useful life. An existing bus barn will be replaced with one that can house vehicles and permit maintenance to be done in all weather conditions.

The new facilities are being designed using Leadership in Environment Energy and Design (LEED) guidelines and green building products, and to the greatest extent possible, will conserve water and energy resources. The recovery act investment will contribute to a safer, healthier and more productive environment for the building’s users and provide an economical, functional and efficient facility for the Rosebud tribal community.

Joining the Assistant Secretary and President Bordeaux in the groundbreaking were Rosebud hereditary chief John Spotted Tail and St. Francis Indian School Superintendent Gorgeous Paulhamus. St. Francis students were among the community members who witnessed the event. The program included songs by St. Francis High School’s Akicita Luta drum group.

Indian Affairs is investing $500 million in recovery act funding nationwide, including projects to build new homes for nearly 200 American Indian and Alaska Native families and provide employment opportunities for On-the-Job Workforce training programs to more than 300 tribal members. More than 18,000 BIE students will benefit from improved or new schools due to recovery act investments that include construction of three news schools and provide major additions to others.

Through aggressive management of the recovery act’s large construction projects, Indian Affairs has saved $33 million, or 11 percent, of its construction allocation under the act. It has used these savings to undertake three school construction projects in addition to those originally planned, including the St. Francis Indian School, putting more people to work in ways that will also benefit students and Indian Country communities. In total, the Interior Department has saved over $200 million on recovery act projects, which it has directed towards completing additional high-priority projects and putting more people to work.

The recovery act is an important component of the President’s plan to jumpstart the economy and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so the country can thrive in the 21st century. Under the recovery act, Indian Affairs is making an investment in conserving Indian Country’s timeless treasures of culture and heritage while helping American Indian and Alaska Native families and their communities prosper.

Secretary Salazar has pledged unprecedented levels of transparency and accountability in the implementation of the Department’s economic recovery projects. The public has been able to follow the progress of each project on www.recovery.gov and on www.interior.gov/recovery. Secretary Salazar has appointed a Senior Advisor for Economic Recovery, Chris Henderson, and an Interior Economic Recovery Task Force who has worked closely with Interior’s Inspector General to ensure the recovery program is meeting the high standards for accountability, responsibility and transparency set by President Obama.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Kevin K. Washburn today issued the following statement on the passing of Chickasaw Nation Ambassador Charles Blackwell:

“Today, Indian Country lost a distinguished leader whose eloquence and diplomacy in promoting self-determination for the Chickasaw Nation and all tribes was legendary. As the Chickasaw Nation’s ambassador to the United States, Charles Blackwell personified the nation-to-nation relationship, giving his people a voice at the highest levels of government.”

“Ambassador Blackwell was an accomplished advocate for the Chickasaw people. His forceful personality, generous spirit and guidance on the workings of federal government will be sorely missed by all who had the good fortune to know him. Our prayers go out to his family, the Chickasaw Nation leadership, and the Chickasaw people.”

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WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk will be a Keynote Speaker with remarks following by the Director of the Bureau of Indian Education Keith Moore at the National Indian Education Association (NIEA) 41st Annual Convention on Thursday, October 7, 2010. They will discuss the roles of the current administration and their policies on making Indian education a priority.

The Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs oversees the Bureau of Indian Education, which operates one of two federal school systems (the other is under the Department of Defense). The BIE funds 183 elementary and secondary day and boarding schools located on 64 federal Indian reservations in 23 states serving approximately 42,000 American Indian and Alaska Native students. The Bureau also services American Indian and Alaska Native post secondary students through higher education scholarships and support funding to 26 tribal colleges and universities, two technical colleges including the United Tribes Technical College, and it directly operates two institutions: Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute in Albuquerque, N.M. and Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kan.

WHO: Larry Echo Hawk, Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior, Keith Moore, Director, the Bureau of Indian Education.

WHAT: The Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk and the Director of the Bureau of Indian Education will be speaking at the National Indian Education Association 41st Annual Convention.

WHEN: Thursday, October 7 th at 10:00 a.m. (PDT).

WHERE: Town and Country Resort & Convention Center - 500 Hotel Circle North, San Diego, CA 92108.

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NOTE: All media must present government-issued photo I.D. (such as a driver’s license) and valid media credentials. Media inquiries regarding logistics should be directed to Contact Wanda Johnson at 202-544-7290 or wjohnson@niea.org

WASHINGTON – Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk today announced the second competition for students attending high schools and tribal colleges funded by the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) that will promote careers in the fields of green and renewable energy. This year’s competition will be looking for designs of a conversion process that will change biomass into diesel fuel. The Indian Education Renewable Energy Challenge is being sponsored by the BIE in partnership with the Indian Affairs Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development (IEED) and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory (ANL).

“I am pleased to see this partnership provide such wonderful opportunity for students to design an innovative process that will convert biomass into diesel fuel,” Echo Hawk said. “Our BIE students are incredibly talented, and this is an opportunity to take on a real world challenge to demonstrate a renewable energy and technology process that tribes can use to promote economic self-sufficiency in Indian Country.”

The challenge is designed as a two-part competition. During Phase I, each school and college will establish a team of students to process designs for converting biomass to diesel fuel using any raw biomass material they wish, and must indicate how their process design ensures safety in view of the flammable product and the properties of any chemicals that may be used in the production. Five high school and five college design teams with the best submissions will receive $3,500 apiece to construct prototypes of their inventions. In Phase II, the teams will be provided with a diesel-powered generator so that each team can conduct performance data collections to submit, along with detailed reports and videos of their prototypes in operation, to ANL for evaluation by a team of judges. There are eight requirements to be met for Phase II of the challenge in order for the judges to view the final submissions:

1. A narrated video showing the process by which bio-diesel fuel has been made from biomass material. 2
2. A narrated video showing the generator in operation fueled by the bio-diesel and powering some appliance.
3. A 100 milliliter sample of the produced bio-diesel fuel, to be shipped in a container provided by Argonne National Laboratory.
4. Chemical equations showing the reactions used to convert the biomass material to biodiesel fuel. Include a per cent yield calculation for your process.
5. A flow chart for your process.
6. A specification sheet for the bio-diesel showing generator fuel consumption versus output power.
7. A written discussion of the safety issues associated with your process and with generator usage and the specific procedures that have been followed to ensure safe operation.
8. PowerPoint slides that will comprise a poster that will be displayed in Washington, D.C., in the event that your team wins the competition.

One top project will be selected from the high school teams and one from the college teams. The two winning teams will see their projects prominently displayed in Washington, D.C., where they also will have the opportunity to meet with senior Interior Department officials and attend a reception to be held in their honor.

Design proposals for the Indian Education Renewable Energy Challenge must be submitted to the ANL by November 30, 2010. The 10 teams whose projects have been selected will be notified by December 15, 2010. The submission deadline for final projects is May 1, 2011. Winners will be announced shortly after the final submissions.

For further information and application forms visit the Argonne National Laboratory’s website at http://www.dep.anl.gov/indianed_energychallenge/.

The Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs (ASIA) oversees the Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development, whose mission is to foster stronger American Indian and Alaska Native communities by helping federally recognized tribes with employment and workforce training programs; helping tribes develop their renewable and non-renewable energy and mineral resources; and increasing access to capital for tribal and individual American Indian and Alaska Native-owned businesses. ASIA also oversees the Bureau of Indian Education which operates the federal school system for American Indian and Alaska Native children from the federally recognized tribes. The BIE is responsible for ensuring the implementation of federal education laws, including the No Child Left Behind Act, in 183 BIE-funded elementary and secondary schools and residential programs located on 64 reservations in 23 states serving approximately 42,000 American Indian and Alaska Native students and employing over 5,000 teachers, administrators and support personnel. The BIE also provides resources and technical assistance to 124 tribally administered BIE-funded schools, 26 tribal colleges and universities and two technical colleges. It directly operates two post secondary institutions: Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kan., and the Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute in Albuquerque, N.M. BIE website: http://www.bie.edu/

WASHINGTON – Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk today announced that he has named Kevin J. Martin, an enrolled member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation in Oklahoma, as Director of the Indian Affairs Office of Budget Management (OBM). The Director, who reports to the Chief Financial Officer for Indian Affairs, is responsible for all aspects of the Indian Affairs budget process including planning, formulation, presentation, justification and execution. His appointment became effective September 26, 2010.

“Kevin Martin brings a wealth of experience with federal budgets at the program, agency and departmental levels, as well as the understanding that Indian Affairs’ unique responsibilities to the federally recognized tribes must be reflected in the budget process,” Echo Hawk said. “I am pleased he has agreed to join my senior management team as Director of the Office of Budget Management for Indian Affairs.”

“I want to thank Assistant Secretary Echo Hawk for this opportunity, for which I am deeply grateful,” Martin said. “I look forward to joining with him in the stewardship of Indian Affairs’ resources, which support our government-to-government relationship with the tribes.”

Prior to his appointment, Martin had been serving since June 2009 as Chief of the OBM’s Division of Education, Law Enforcement and Construction, which provides the full range of budgetary support and services to the Bureau of Indian Education, the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services and the Indian Affairs Office of Facilities Management and Construction. Among his responsibilities, Martin advised the Indian Affairs Budget Officer and key IA staff in the formulation, execution and reporting of the IA annual budget within the division’s areas. He also oversaw the administration of the BIA’s appropriations, budget authority and transferred contract authority.

During this time Martin also served as the OBM’s lead on developing and implementing its capability to fulfill the unprecedented resource and obligation reporting requirements connected with carrying out the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in Indian Country. As such he headed Indian Affairs’ effort to produce real-time ARRA financial data for the Department of the Interior, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and Congress in keeping with the act’s requirements and President Obama’s commitment to transparency and accountability.

From August 2007 to May 2009, Martin served as the Budget Officer for the OJS from the BIA’s Eastern Regional Office in Nashville, Tenn. As such he provided budgetary support and services including budget justifications, reviewing legislative and budgetary documents, and monitoring and reporting resources to OJS senior leadership.

From March 2004 to July 2007, Martin served as Chief of the OBM Division of Trust and Indian Services in Washington, D.C., where he provided budgetary support and services to the BIA’s Office of Trust Services and Office of Indian Services. In addition to his duties, Martin served as the de facto Budget Formulation Officer for all of Indian Affairs where he was responsible for all IA budget formulation policy and procedures, as well as interacting with the DOI budget office and OMB in resolving budget formulation issues. He also advised the IA Budget Officer and key IA staff in the formulation, execution and reporting of the IA annual budget within assigned areas and negotiated directly with senior Departmental budget staff on formulation policies and issues. He also oversaw budget formulation activities by the 12 BIA regional offices as well as the administration of the BIA’s appropriations, budget authority and transferred contract authority.

From July 2001 to March 2004, Martin served as a budget analyst in the IA budget office’s Branch of Formulation. As such, he was responsible for the preparation and review of multiple sections of annual budget requests to DOI, OMB and Congress. He also coordinated the production of supporting OMB-required schedules, such as the 5-Year Deferred Maintenance and Construction Plan, Exhibit 52, 53 and 54. His duties also included production and review of responses to questions from congressional appropriations committees on IA budget matters.

From July 1996 to July 2001, Martin worked as a senior accountant for Columbia Energy Group in Herndon, Va., where he was responsible for general ledger accounting and financial reporting for a number of power generation projects across the country. His duties included reviewing quarterly budget variances with company executives and facilitating annual reviews performed by external auditors.

Martin holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from Radford University in Virginia (1996).

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk today announced that the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Office of Justice Services (OJS) will conduct tribal consultation with the federally recognized tribes throughout the month of October, 2010. A letter announcing the meetings was sent to tribal leaders on September 17, 2010. “The input from tribal leaders is crucial to ensuring safety in Indian Country,” Echo Hawk said. “It is among my top priorities to move forward to develop the most effective policies and procedures in law enforcement so that the American Indian and Alaska Native people can benefit from this landmark legislation.” The President signed the Tribal Law and Order Act of 2010 ("TLOA") into law on July 29, 2010. Among other provisions, TLOA provides Tribes with the opportunity to exercise enhanced sentencing authority, requires BIA - OJS to collect and report additional data to Congress regarding public safety in Indian country, and directs BIA to establish certain policies, procedures and guidelines in consultation with tribes. The BIA is committed to ongoing and meaningful consultation with tribal nations to implement TLOA and ensure utilization of effective public safety strategies. We welcome your input at any stage and encourage tribal leaders to weigh in as we move forward to implement this law. As an initial effort to gather the input of tribal leaders, we will hold working consultation sessions with tribal leaders during the month of October as follows:

We invite you to address the following issues at these sessions:

• A plan to enhance the provision of BIA Special Law Enforcement Commissions (SLECs) to tribal, state and local law enforcement, including minimum requirements to be included in SLEC agreements;
• Guidelines for BIA approval of correctional centers for long-term incarcerations under the enhanced sentencing provisions;
• Elements and guiding principles to be included in a long-term plan for tribal detention programs and incarceration in Indian country, including: Construction, operation and maintenance of juvenile and adult facilities; Contracting with State and local detention facilities; Alternatives to incarceration; An assessment of construction of Federal detention centers in Indian country; Operations & maintenance plans;
• Elements and guiding principles to be included in a long-term plan for construction, renovation and operation of Indian juvenile detention and treatment centers;
• Any issues related to the collection and analysis of data from Tribes regarding Indian country crime and spending on tribal public safety and justice programs;
• Standards and deadlines for OJS background checks for tribal law enforcement and corrections officials.

Comments may be mailed or hand delivered to the Office of Justice Services, 1849 C Street, N. W., MS-4551-MIB, Washington, D.C. 20240. Please contact the Office of Justice Services, Bureau of Indian Affairs at (202) 208-5787 for any additional questions you might have about the upcoming meetings.

Additional information can be found on the “Current Tribal Consultations” page of the Indian Affairs website at http://www.indianaffairs.gov/WhoWeAre/AS-IA/Consultation/index.htm.

WASHINGTON – Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk today announced that he has named Kevin J. Martin, an enrolled member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation in Oklahoma, as Director of the Indian Affairs Office of Budget Management (OBM). The Director, who reports to the Chief Financial Officer for Indian Affairs, is responsible for all aspects of the Indian Affairs budget process including planning, formulation, presentation, justification and execution. His appointment became effective September 26, 2010.

“Kevin Martin brings a wealth of experience with federal budgets at the program, agency and departmental levels, as well as the understanding that Indian Affairs’ unique responsibilities to the federally recognized tribes must be reflected in the budget process,” Echo Hawk said. “I am pleased he has agreed to join my senior management team as Director of the Office of Budget Management for Indian Affairs.”

“I want to thank Assistant Secretary Echo Hawk for this opportunity, for which I am deeply grateful,” Martin said. “I look forward to joining with him in the stewardship of Indian Affairs’ resources, which support our government-to-government relationship with the tribes.”

Prior to his appointment, Martin had been serving since June 2009 as Chief of the OBM’s Division of Education, Law Enforcement and Construction, which provides the full range of budgetary support and services to the Bureau of Indian Education, the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services and the Indian Affairs Office of Facilities Management and Construction. Among his responsibilities, Martin advised the Indian Affairs Budget Officer and key IA staff in the formulation, execution and reporting of the IA annual budget within the division’s areas. He also oversaw the administration of the BIA’s appropriations, budget authority and transferred contract authority.

During this time Martin also served as the OBM’s lead on developing and implementing its capability to fulfill the unprecedented resource and obligation reporting requirements connected with carrying out the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in Indian Country. As such he headed Indian Affairs’ effort to produce real-time ARRA financial data for the Department of the Interior, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and Congress in keeping with the act’s requirements and President Obama’s commitment to transparency and accountability.

From August 2007 to May 2009, Martin served as the Budget Officer for the OJS from the BIA’s Eastern Regional Office in Nashville, Tenn. As such he provided budgetary support and services including budget justifications, reviewing legislative and budgetary documents, and monitoring and reporting resources to OJS senior leadership.

From March 2004 to July 2007, Martin served as Chief of the OBM Division of Trust and Indian Services in Washington, D.C., where he provided budgetary support and services to the BIA’s Office of Trust Services and Office of Indian Services. In addition to his duties, Martin served as the de facto Budget Formulation Officer for all of Indian Affairs where he was responsible for all IA budget formulation policy and procedures, as well as interacting with the DOI budget office and OMB in resolving budget formulation issues. He also advised the IA Budget Officer and key IA staff in the formulation, execution and reporting of the IA annual budget within assigned areas and negotiated directly with senior Departmental budget staff on formulation policies and issues. He also oversaw budget formulation activities by the 12 BIA regional offices as well as the administration of the BIA’s appropriations, budget authority and transferred contract authority.

From July 2001 to March 2004, Martin served as a budget analyst in the IA budget office’s Branch of Formulation. As such, he was responsible for the preparation and review of multiple sections of annual budget requests to DOI, OMB and Congress. He also coordinated the production of supporting OMB-required schedules, such as the 5-Year Deferred Maintenance and Construction Plan, Exhibit 52, 53 and 54. His duties also included production and review of responses to questions from congressional appropriations committees on IA budget matters.

From July 1996 to July 2001, Martin worked as a senior accountant for Columbia Energy Group in Herndon, Va., where he was responsible for general ledger accounting and financial reporting for a number of power generation projects across the country. His duties included reviewing quarterly budget variances with company executives and facilitating annual reviews performed by external auditors.

Martin holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from Radford University in Virginia (1996).