OPA

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – A major law enforcement operation targeting drug trafficking in and around Indian Country in North Carolina has resulted in the arrest of more than 75 individuals on federal, state and tribal charges, announced U.S. Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke and Andrew Murray, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Additionally, the months-long operation yielded more than 248 pounds of illegal substances including heroin, methamphetamine, and hundreds of opioid pills with an estimated street value of $2 million. Officers also seized 6 illegally-possessed firearms. This operation is the latest conducted by the Interior Department’s task force which Secretary Zinke formed in March 2018 to target the opioid crisis in Indian Country.

The undercover operation, led by the Department of Interior’s Opioid Reduction Task Force, in coordination with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indian Police Department and multiple federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, began in March 2018, and aimed at disrupting and dismantling drug distribution networks operating in and around the Qualla Boundary.

“First and foremost, bravo zulu to the dozens of law enforcement professionals who are on the front lines and putting their own lives at risk to take these deadly drugs off the streets. President Trump and I could not be prouder of their work,” said Secretary Zinke. “It’s heartbreaking to see the scale of the problem, and rather than further stigmatizing victims, we are cracking down on the dealers who are selling out our children, selling out our communities, and selling out our nation. The Trump Administration is serious about ending the opioid crisis and that means both treatment of those suffering as well as eradicating the drugs from our communities. This week’s law enforcement action gets us closer to that goal.”

“I am extremely grateful to the Secretary of the Interior, the BIA and the multiple state and local agencies who helped make this operation a success," said Principal Chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Richard Sneed. "The arrest of these drug dealers is a critical step towards ensuring that the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians are able to provide the healthy environment our people deserve.”

In addition to the 75 arrests announced today in connection with DOI’s Opioid Reduction Task Force operation, a concurrent two-year investigation spearheaded by the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Division of Drug Enforcement and the DEA led to the previous arrest of 57 additional individuals responsible for trafficking opiates and methamphetamine in Indian Country, bringing the total number of those arrested as part of the Western District’s drug reduction initiative on the Cherokee Indian Reservation to 132.

WASHINGTON – Lawrence S. Roberts, who is leading the Office of the Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs, announced today that the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) has extended its deadline for nominations of qualified individuals to serve on a negotiated rulemaking committee (NRC) that will recommend revisions to its school accountability system. Nominees are being sought from federally recognized tribes whose students attend BIE-funded schools.

The new deadline for nominations, a notice of which was published this month in the Federal Register, is on or before October 3, 2016. The BIE initially published its announcement for nominations last November with a deadline of December 24, 2015. That deadline was later extended to May 31, 2016.

“The BIE is seeking invested, energetic and knowledgeable persons for its Accountability Negotiated Rulemaking Committee who will have the opportunity to help the Bureau in developing new standards, assessments and an accountability system for all BIE-funded schools, as mandated under the Every Student Succeeds Act,”Roberts said. “I urge tribes with children in BIE-funded schools to submit nominations, particularly of individuals who have strong backgrounds in Indian education, are knowledgeable about the BIE school system, and understand what is needed for our schools to better serve their students and communities.”

Section 8007(2) of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which reauthorizes and amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, directs the Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with the Secretary of Education, to use the NRC process to develop regulations that define standards, assessments and an accountability system for BIE-funded schools on a national, regional or tribal basis. The regulations must be consistent with Section 1111 of the ESSA, which requires them to be developed in a manner that considers the unique circumstances and needs of the schools and their students, and be implemented no later than the 2017-2018 academic year.

Because the ESSA preserves the right of the schools and tribes to seek a waiver from being subject to the Interior Department’s accountability system, the Accountability NRC’s regulations will not affect the ability of individual schools and tribes to develop account ability systems that best meet their academic and cultural needs.

For example, the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians has successfully developed its own accountability system and the Navajo Nation is in the process of doing so. Their approved accountability systems will be exempt from the BIE’s single accountability system. The remainder of BIE-funded schools, however, will be subject to the NRC-developed standards, assessments and accountability system.

Nominations must include the following information for each Accountability NRC nominee:

• A letter of support from the tribe for an individual’s nomination to serve on the NRC as a tribal representative;
• A resume reflecting the nominee’s qualifications and experience in Indian education that includes the person’s name, tribal affiliation, job title, major job duties, employer, business address, business telephone and fax numbers (and business email address, if applicable);
• The tribal interest(s) to be represented by the nominee [see Section IV, Part F, of the BIE’s Notice of Intent published in the Federal Register on November 9, 2015] and whether the nominee will represent other interest(s) related to this rulemaking, as the tribe may designate;
• A brief description of how the nominee will represent tribal views, communicate with tribal constituents, and have a clear means of reaching agreement on behalf of the tribe(s) he or she represents; and
• A statement on whether the nominee is only representing one tribe’s views or whether the expectation is that he or she represents a specific group of tribes.

Although the deadline for nominations is October 3, 2016, the BIE will still consider individuals whose nominations were submitted by the December 24, 2015 or May 31, 2016 deadlines.

Send nominations to: Ms. Jackie Cheek, Bureau of Indian Education, U.S. Department of the Interior, 1849 C Street, N.W., MS-3642-MIB, Washington, DC 20240, phone: (202) 208–6983.

The Office of the Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs oversees the Bureau of Indian Education, which implements federal Indian education programs and funds 183 elementary and secondary day and boarding schools (of which two-thirds are tribally operated) located on 64 reservations in 23 states and peripheral dormitories serving over 40,000 students. BIE also operates two post-secondary schools, and administers grants for 28 tribally controlled colleges and universities and two tribal technical colleges, and provides higher education scholarships to Native youth. For more information, visit www.bie.edu.

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WASHINGTON - The Department of Justice, the Department of the Army and the Department of the Interior issued the following statement regarding Standing Rock Sioux Tribe v. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers:

“We appreciate the District Court’s opinion on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act. However, important issues raised by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and other tribal nations and their members regarding the Dakota Access pipeline specifically, and pipeline-related decision-making generally, remain. Therefore, the Department of the Army, the Department of Justice, and the Department of the Interior will take the following steps.

“The Army will not authorize constructing the Dakota Access pipeline on Corps land bordering or under Lake Oahe until it can determine whether it will need to reconsider any of its previous decisions regarding the Lake Oahe site under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) or other federal laws. Therefore, construction of the pipeline on Army Corps land bordering or under Lake Oahe will not go forward at this time. The Army will move expeditiously to make this determination, as everyone involved — including the pipeline company and its workers — deserves a clear and timely resolution. In the interim, we request that the pipeline company voluntarily pause all construction activity within 20 miles east or west of Lake Oahe.

“Furthermore, this case has highlighted the need for a serious discussion on whether there should be nationwide reform with respect to considering tribes’ views on these types of infrastructure projects. Therefore, this fall, we will invite tribes to formal, government-to government consultations on two questions: (1) within the existing statutory framework, what should the federal government do to better ensure meaningful tribal input into infrastructure related reviews and decisions and the protection of tribal lands, resources, and treaty rights; and (2) should new legislation be proposed to Congress to alter that statutory framework and promote those goals.

“Finally, we fully support the rights of all Americans to assemble and speak freely. We urge everyone involved in protest or pipeline activities to adhere to the principles of nonviolence. Of course, anyone who commits violent or destructive acts may face criminal sanctions from federal, tribal, state, or local authorities. The Departments of Justice and the Interior will continue to deploy resources to North Dakota to help state, local, and tribal authorities, and the communities they serve, better communicate, defuse tensions, support peaceful protest, and maintain public safety.

“In recent days, we have seen thousands of demonstrators come together peacefully, with support from scores of sovereign tribal governments, to exercise their First Amendment rights and to voice heartfelt concerns about the environment and historic, sacred sites. It is now incumbent on all of us to develop a path forward that serves the broadest public interest.”

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Lawrence S. “Larry” Roberts today announced that the Obama Administration has exceeded its goal of placing half a million acres of tribal homelands into trust for federally recognized tribes.

“Restoring tribal homelands has been a pillar of President Obama’s commitment to support tribal self-determination and self-governance, empowering tribal leaders to build stronger, more resilient communities,” Secretary Jewell said. “The Administration broke the logjam on trust land applications in 2009 and has worked steadily, collaboratively and effectively to restore Native lands that will help strengthen tribal economies and make their nations whole again.”

The 500,000 acre goal was surpassed Friday when President Obama signed into law the bipartisan Nevada Native Nations Lands Act, which conveys more than 71,000 acres of Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service lands to the U.S. Department of the Interior to place into federal trust status for six Nevada tribes. The tribes will use their newly acquired lands to expand housing, provide economic development opportunities and promote cultural activities for and by their tribal members.

“Secretary Jewell announced early on a goal of restoring 500,000 acres to Indian Country by the end of the Obama Administration and we view this as a meaningful start to correcting the enormous loss of tribal homelands Indian Country has endured,” Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Roberts told tribal leaders at the opening session of the National Congress of American Indians’ 73rd Annual Convention in Phoenix, AZ earlier this week.

Roberts further said, “I want to thank the Bureau of Indian Affairs Director Mike Black for his implementation of this important policy, the Regional Directors and their staff for their hard work to make it a reality. While our fee-to-trust process remains rigorous and tribes must expend precious resources to address the Carcieri decision, tribes continue to prioritize the return of their homelands, investing their own resources to ensure a land base for future generations.”

Restoring tribal homelands has been a key part of the Obama Administration's Indian Country priorities, representing a shift from historic federal policy that previously resulted in tribes losing millions of acres of land across the U.S. over several hundred years. Since 2009, the Bureau of Indian Affairs has processed 2,265 individual trust applications and restored more than 542,000 acres of land into trust. And in partnership with tribes and agency staff at all levels, Indian Affairs continues to process additional applications for land into trust.

As part of President Obama’s pledge to work nation-to-nation with tribal leaders to strengthen their communities and build their economies, the Administration also has overhauled antiquated leasing regulations to provide tribes greater control over their homelands and issued new regulations to allow the Interior Department to accept land into trust for federally recognized Alaska tribes, thereby advancing tribal sovereignty and closing a long-standing gap that had not extended this eligibility to Alaska Natives.

The Secretary of the Interior is authorized by the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 to acquire land into trust for federally recognized tribes. Lands held in federal Indian trust status, which cannot be sold, alienated, or transferred to non-Indians or non-Natives, benefit their American Indian and Alaska Native tribal owners through federal programs for business development, housing, and environmental and cultural protection. Typical uses of trust land include governmental operations, cultural activities, agricultural/forestry activities, housing, economic development, social and community services, and health care and educational facilities.

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WASHINGTON – Furthering President Obama’s Generation Indigenous (“Gen-I”) and Tiwahe initiatives that support American Indian and Alaska Native families and strengthen tribal communities, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Lawrence S. Roberts today announced that the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) has published the final updated version of its 2016 Model Indian Juvenile Code, which was originally issued in 1988 – almost 30 years ago.

“I am very pleased to announce the publication of the BIA’s updated Model Indian Juvenile Code, which has been a long time in coming,” Roberts said. “Supporting Native youth and their families has been among the Obama Administration’s top priorities in helping to build strong tribal communities. The 2016Model Indian Juvenile Code is key to ensuring that the rights of Native youth who enter the juvenile justice system and their families are respected and protected. I want to express my deep appreciation to our federal partners who joined with us to update the code, and to all of the tribes, juvenile justice professionals, and others who provided their insights, comments, recommendations and encouragement that have led us to this moment.”

The Model Indian Juvenile Code helps federally recognized tribes create their own codes that focus on juvenile matters and specifically address issues affecting American Indian youth arrested for alcohol- and/or drug-related offenses in Indian Country. The effort to update the 1988 original complements the Gen-I and Tiwahe initiatives. Tiwahe, which means “family” in the Lakota language, promotes a comprehensive, integrated and community-based approach to support child welfare, family stability and strengthening tribal communities as a whole.

The 2016 Model Indian Juvenile Code is comprehensive and flexible, encouraging the use of alternatives to standard juvenile delinquency, truancy, and child-in-need services. It reflects a core commitment to providing tribes with examples of juvenile statutes designed to assure the fundamental rights of children and their parents, guardians and custodians, and a focus on allowing the opportunity for restorative diversion at each decision point in the juvenile process.

The updated Code focuses on three areas: Juvenile Delinquency, Truancy and At-Risk Youth. Based on consultation with tribal governments, the Code also focuses on other areas:

• The ability to divert out of formal process at each decision point;
• Embedding the right to counsel for juveniles in delinquency/truancy;
• Restricting the use of detention;
• Commentary on choices made in the Code and discussion of options for implementation, including diversion examples;
• Distinguishing between delinquent acts and need for services (for delinquent acts, focus on supervision, treatment and rehabilitation);
• Ensuring the rights of parties; and
• The coordination of services.

Since 2012, the BIA’s Office of Justice Services Tribal Justice Support Directorate and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention have worked to update the Bureau’s 1988 Model Indian Juvenile Code. That code was published following passage of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5601 et seq.) and pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 2454, the law directing the Secretary of the Interior to develop a model Indian juvenile code that included provisions on the disposition of cases involving Indian youth arrested or detained by BIA or tribal law enforcement for alcohol- or drug-related offenses.

In April 2015 the Interior and Justice Departments jointly announced their intent to update the 1988 code and issue for tribal comment a discussion draft of an updated model code. This was followed by an extensive information-gathering effort from December 2014 throughout 2015, consisting of tribal consultation and listening sessions, webinars, conference calls and workshops. In February 2016 the two Departments, joined by Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, announced the publication of a draft revised code for tribal and public comment.

The 2016 Model Indian Juvenile Code also reflects changes in the field of juvenile justice since 1988, particularly the enactment in 2010 of the Tribal Law and Order Act (P. L. 111-211) and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (P. L. 111-148), and complies with a provision in a 2011 Indian Alcohol and Substance Abuse Memorandum of Agreement between Interior and Justice to develop such a code in accordance with 25 U.S.C. 2454.

The annotated 2016 Model Indian Juvenile Code can be downloaded from the Indian Affairs website. A Microsoft Word version for tribal use also can be found on the Indian Affairs website.

The Principal Deputy 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. These offices directly administer or fund tribally based infrastructure, economic development, law enforcement and justice, social services (including child welfare), tribal governance, and trust land and natural and energy resources management programs for the nation’s federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes through 12 regional offices and 81 agencies.

The OJS TJSD furthers the development, operation, and enhancement of tribal justice systems by providing guidance, technical support, and advisory services to tribal courts and Courts of Indian Offenses (also known as CFR courts). For more information, visit http://indianaffairs.gov/WhoWeAre/BIA/OJS/ojs-services/ojs-tjs/index.htm.

OJJDP provides national leadership, coordination, and resources to prevent and respond to juvenile delinquency and victimization. It supports states and communities in their efforts to develop and implement effective and coordinated prevention and intervention programs and to improve the juvenile justice system so that it protects public safety, holds offenders accountable, and provides treatment and rehabilitative services tailored to the needs of juveniles and their families. For more information, visit http://www.ojjdp.gov/.

SAMHSA is the agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that leads public health efforts to advance the behavioral health of the nation. SAMHSA’s mission is to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on America’s communities. For more information on SAMHSA’s tribal affairs efforts, visit http://www.samhsa.gov/tribal-affairs.

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WASHINGTON – Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Lawrence S. “Larry” Roberts today announced that the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Office of Justice Services (OJS) is once again partnering with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, which will take place on Saturday, October 22 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. local time. OJS is working with tribal law enforcement agencies to implement Take-Back Day in their jurisdictions.

“By working with the DEA and the National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day initiative, we can help reduce the dangers in Indian Country from the misuse and abuse of expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs,” Roberts said. “I want to thank the DEA for continuing with this important initiative and our tribal law enforcement partners for joining with us to protect lives. I encourage all members of the tribal public to bring their expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs to their nearest participating Indian Country location and help prevent the dangers of prescription drug misuse and abuse in their communities.”

This is the 12th year that OJS has partnered with the DEA for National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day. The free service allows members of the public to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. (The DEA cannot accept liquids or needles or sharps, only pills or patches.) In addition to being free, the service is also anonymous with no questions asked.

Members of the tribal public should bring their pills for disposal to the nearest receiving tribal entity listed on the table of participating Indian Country locations. They can also find the site nearest them by visiting the DEA Diversion Control Division’s site search web page.

Last April, Americans turned in 447 tons (over 893,000 pounds) of prescription drugs at almost 5,400 sites operated by the DEA and more than 4,200 of its state and local law enforcement partners. Overall, in its 11 previous Take-Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in over 6.4 million pounds – about 3,200 tons – of pills.

The National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the United States are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs.

Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines – flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash – pose potential safety and health hazards.

For more information about National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, the October 22 Take-Back Day event, or to find the nearest collection site, visit the DEA Diversion Control Division’s website at https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback/index.html.

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FAIRBANKS, Alaska – U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell today announced a Secretarial Order encouraging cooperative management opportunities between the Department’s land and water managers and federally-recognized tribes. The Secretarial Order sets out a framework to ensure that Native communities have the opportunity to assume meaningful and substantive roles in managing public lands that have special geographical, historical and cultural connections to the tribes.

Secretary Jewell announced the Order at the annual Alaska Federation of Natives Conference in Fairbanks, Alaska. In her remarks, Jewell shared that her Order facilitates collaborative partnerships and the integration of tribal ecological knowledge, practices and concerns into the management of federal lands, waters and natural resources where there is a connection to tribal communities.

“This Secretarial Order reflects the Obama Administration’s deep commitment to strengthen respect between the United States government and Native American and Alaska Native leaders and communities while boosting our efforts to increase tribal self-determination and self-governance,” said Secretary Jewell. “This kind of collaboration with tribal nations will help ensure that we’re appropriately and genuinely integrating indigenous expertise, experience and perspectives into the management of public lands.”

Interior land and water management agencies covered by the Secretarial Order include the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and Bureau of Reclamation. The Secretarial Order directs these agencies to identify opportunities and undertake efforts to partner with tribes in the management of their land and water resources. These efforts include identifying key personnel to explore such collaborative management arrangements; developing bureau-specific guidance for collaborative partnerships with tribes; and engaging in consultation with tribal governments at bureau, regional, and unit levels to better understand tribal interests in specific collaborative opportunities.

Interior Deputy Secretary Michael L. Connor, who has been a champion for collaborative management opportunities with indigenous communities during his tenure, noted that the Secretarial Order is guided by Interior’s federal trust responsibility to federally-recognized tribes and self-governance principles. Connor helped negotiate the successful Kuskokwim River Pilot Project in Alaska which is a cooperative partnership between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission for the management of fish and wildlife resources in the area.

“This Order ensures a continued connection between Native communities and federal lands where we share complementary interests in conserving and managing fish, wildlife and their habitats, and protecting cultural resources,” said Deputy Secretary Connor. “Cooperative management and other collaborative partnerships with tribes help ensure the protection of public lands and resources, guides appropriate development, and assists in better understanding and addressing the effects of climate change.”

As outlined, the Secretarial Order guides Interior’s land management agencies to identify opportunities, consult with tribes, and implement cooperative management agreements or other collaborative partnerships as appropriate that relate to:

• Management of fish and wildlife resources;
• Identification, protection, preservation and management of cultural sites;
• Management of plant resources, including collection of plant material;
• Delivery of specific programs and services;
• Management and implementation of agency-related maintenance activities; and
• Managing public information related to tribal, cultural and/or educational materials related to an agency.

The Order does not address ‘co-management,’ which are situations where there is a specific legal basis that requires co-management of natural resources or that makes co-management otherwise necessary. In some instances, such as management of the salmon harvest in the Pacific Northwest, co-management has been established by law.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Lawrence S. Roberts, who leads the Office of the Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs, today announced new leadership for the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and Bureau of Indian Education (BIE). Weldon ‘Bruce’ Loudermilk will succeed Michael S. Black as Director of the BIA and Tony Dearman will be the new Director of the BIE.

Michael Black, a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, has served as BIA Director since April 2010. Mr. Black will move to a new role as Senior Advisor to the BIA Director, ensuring a smooth transition and continuing to be a senior member of the BIA team.

“It’s vitally important to our Nation-to-Nation relationship that BIA and BIE leadership remains strong as we transition between Administrations,” said Secretary Jewell. “Our actions today ensure that Indian Country will continue to be well-served at the highest career levels. Bruce and Tony bring talent and experience as managers of Indian Affairs offices and programs and will be advocates for tribes, playing critical roles in carrying out our trust and treaty obligations, and furthering our commitment to tribal self-governance and self-determination.”

Weldon ‘Bruce’ Loudermilk is a longtime veteran of federal service to Indian tribes and Alaska Natives. He is a citizen of the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in Montana and has served as the BIA Regional Director for the Alaska Region since January 2014.

Prior to serving as the Alaska Regional Director, Loudermilk served as the Great Plains Regional Director from 2010 to 2014 and before that, as the Deputy Regional Director-Indian Services, Great Plains Region from March 2008 to June 2010. Prior to joining the BIA, Loudermilk provided leadership in the Interior Department’s Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians (OST) as a Financial Trust Services Officer and as a Fiduciary Trust Officer. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from Montana State University-Billings and a Master’s Degree from Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Tony Dearman, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, had served as the Associate Deputy Director for bureau-operated schools since November 2015, where he helped implement the BIE reorganization and reform, overseeing 17 schools, four off-reservation boarding schools, and one dormitory. Before that, Dearman served as the superintendent at Riverside Indian School, a BIE-operated boarding school, where he helped develop and plan a new academic high school building and two residential dormitories.

Dearman earned an Associate of Arts Degree from Bacone College in Muskogee, Oklahoma. He also received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education and a Master's Degree in School Administration from Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. He currently holds science, physical education, principal, and superintendent certifications.

As Director of the BIE, Dearman will oversee all facilities providing schooling for nearly 50,000 American Indian and Alaska Native students from the country’s federally recognized tribes. He also oversees the Deputy Bureau Director for school operations, Chief Academic Officer, and three Associate Deputy Directors who are responsible for education resource centers serving 183 BIE-funded elementary and secondary day and boarding schools and peripheral dormitories located on 64 reservations in 23 states. The BIE also serves post-secondary students through higher education scholarships and support funding to 27 tribal colleges and universities and two tribal technical colleges.

Jewell further said, “Mike Black deserves our thanks and admiration for his dedicated service as Director of the BIA, especially focusing on the important work of restoring tribal homelands, returning leasing decisions to the hands of tribal communities, and facilitating tribal economic opportunities. Mike is the longest serving Director in the BIA’s history, and we are grateful for his dedication, enthusiasm and commitment to public service.”

Black will now be stationed in Billings, Montana where he will help BIA manage implementation of the Land Buy Back Program, the Indian Energy Service Center, and assistance to regions in western time zones.

Black thanked the Administration for the opportunity to serve Indian Country as BIA Director, saying, “It has been an honor and a privilege to work with this policy team and the many people, both BIA and Tribal, who demonstrate their commitment and dedication to Indian Country every day. I want to thank everyone who supported me and helped to carry out our mission.”

On the new leadership announcements, Roberts said, “Bruce’s commitment to Indian country, his wealth of knowledge having served in a leadership role for two regions, and his years of experience in leadership with Mike and the other Regional Directors will ensure a seamless transition in our service to Indian country. Tony’s record as a senior leader in the BIE, in school administration, and in the classroom, demonstrates his passion to serve Indian Country and our children, and I know he will ensure that BIE's progress continues to provide Native students the world class education that they deserve.”

Roberts also thanked Mike Black, noting he led BIA’s successful effort to return 500,000 acres of tribal homelands to trust status and was key to the implementation of new leasing and right-of-way regulations. “Mike’s commitment to Indian Country has shown in every aspect of his work, and that will continue in his new role as a senior member of the BIA team.”

Ann Marie Bledsoe Downs, who served as interim BIE Director since March 2016, will remain in her role as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Economic Development.

On her service as interim BIE Director, Secretary Jewell said, “I commend Ann Marie for stepping up to serve as interim BIE Director, leading the important transformation effort. Ann Marie’s vision, guidance and persistence have served BIE students, staff and teachers well and we commend her for her tireless and effective leadership in support of tribal youth.”

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WASHINGTON – Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Lawrence S. Roberts announced today that applications to the Indian Affairs Student Leadership Summer Institute, a 10-week paid internship for post-secondary Native students now in its second year, are being accepted for 2017. The deadline for applications is November 30, 2016.

The Indian Affairs Student Leadership Summer Institute program provides American Indian and Alaska Native post-secondary students with a unique opportunity to learn about federal policy and develop management and leadership skills within high-profile offices throughout Indian Affairs. The program’s mission is to engage and support the next generation of Native leaders in the federal government through an introduction to the government-to-government relationship between tribal nations and the United States. Through their experiences students will gain an understanding of how Indian Affairs carries out its trust responsibilities and how consultation with tribes guides policy development and implementation.

The Institute’s inaugural class consisted of 17 Native undergraduate and graduate students placed in the 12 Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) regional offices and at the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE), the Office of the Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs, and the White House Council on Native American Affairs where they worked on a variety of projects that dealt with, among other topics, environmental and natural resources, land management, social work, the Tiwahe initiative, and the 2016 White House Tribal Nations Conference. They also traveled to Rapid City, S.D., to attend a Tribal-Interior Budget Council (TIBC) meeting, and around the city of Washington where they visited the Departments of the Interior and Justice, as well as the White House, U.S. Capitol and the Supreme Court.

American Indian and Alaska Native students currently enrolled in either undergraduate or graduate degree programs are encouraged to apply. Between 15 and 20 students will be selected to work in the Indian Affairs headquarters offices in Washington, D.C., and in BIA regional offices around the country.

Applicants must meet the following criteria to apply for the program:

• Be a member of a federally recognized tribe,
• Be currently enrolled and in good standing in an undergraduate or graduate degree program,
• Be at least 18 years of age, and
• Have completed at least two years of an undergraduate degree.

The application requirements are as follows:

1. Personal Statement (700 word limit):
   The statement should discuss the applicant’s interest in the Indian Affairs Student Leadership Summer Institute and how it fits into his or her future goals of serving Indian Country. It should also describe the applicant’s personal qualities or previous leadership experiences that will enhance the experience of other American Indian and Alaska Native program participants, and an area of her or his education, experience in a certain field of policy, cultural background/familiarity (close ties to region) or any other information that would help determine the applicant’s proper placement or secure a placement preference within a specific Indian Affairs office.
2. Resume:
   The resume should be no more than two (2) pages in length. Please include a list of education, honors and awards, work experience (including internships), school activities (clubs, research, presentations, etc.) or any community activities (volunteer activities, leadership roles).
3. Verification Form BIA 4432:
   Because preference in filling vacancies within Indian Affairs offices is given to qualified Indian candidates in accordance with the Indian Preference Act of 1934 (Title 25, USC, Section 472), an applicant must include Verification Form BIA-4432 with their application package prior to the closing date of the announcement, but only if claiming Indian Preference on the application. Applicants selected under Indian Preference will be appointed under Excepted Service, Schedule A, 213.3112 (a) (7) appointing authority. Click here to access the form.
4. Transcripts:
   A full set of unofficial transcripts from all institutions attended are required. They will be used to evaluate the level for which an applicant qualifies which will, in turn, determine the grade level and salary offered.
5. Assessment Questionnaire:
   Applicants will be required to submit an online assessment questionnaire. Preview of questions.

Applications are due no later than Wednesday, November 30, 2016, and should be submitted through USAJobs.gov via https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/454414200#btn-req-docs. Send questions about the application to IA_Institute@bia.gov.

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