Acting Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Michael J. Anderson today announced that effective today Loretta Tuell, Director of Interior’s Office of American Indian Trust (OAIT), has been designated the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs until the end of the Clinton Administration. She will also continue as OAIT director where she is responsible for advising the Secretary and the Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs on decisions, actions, and procedures relating to the Department’s trust responsibilities affecting American Indian trust assets. Ms. Tuell, member of the Nez Perce Tribe and a native of Lapwai, Idaho, has been with the Department since February 1998 when she arrived to serve as Special Assistant and Counselor to the Assistant Secretary. In June 1998, she was named Acting Director for the Office of Tribal Services within the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). Prior to joining Interior, she served as Counsel to Senator Daniel K. Inouye (D-HI) on the Senate Indian Affairs Committee from 1993 to February 1998.
Ms. Tuell has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science-Public Administration from the Washington State University-Pullman (1988) and a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of California-Los Angeles (1992). She later became a senior law clerk for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office in California. Ms. Tuell has served on the board of the National Native American Bar Association and as a Special Trustee for the Board of UNITY (United National Indian Tribal Youth). She is a member of the State Bar of California.
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For Immediate Release: January 16, 2001
