Answer
The Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs (AS-IA) has responsibility for assisting the Secretary of the Interior in fulfilling the Department’s trust responsibilities to American Indian and Alaska Native tribes and individuals, promoting tribal self-determination and economic well-being, and supporting the government-to-government relationship between the federally recognized tribes and the United States.
There have been 13 Assistant Secretaries since the post was established in 1977 by a DOI secretarial order..
The following are the Assistant Secretaries for Indian Affairs in order of their terms of service:
- Forrest J. Gerard, Blackfeet (1977-1980)
- Thomas W. Fredericks, Mandan-Hidatsa (1981)
- Kenneth L. Smith, Wasco (1981-1984)
- Ross O. Swimmer, Cherokee Nation (1985-1989)
- Dr. Eddie F. Brown, Pascua Yaqui-Tohono O’odham (1989-1993)
- Ada E. Deer, Menominee (1993-1997)
- Kevin Gover, Pawnee (1997-2001)
- Neal McCaleb, Chickasaw (2001-2002)
- David W. Anderson, Lac Courte Oreilles Chippewa-Choctaw Nation (2004-2005)
- Carl J. Artman, Oneida Nation (2007-2008)
- Larry Echo Hawk, Pawnee (2009-2012)
- Kevin K. Washburn, Chickasaw (2012-2016)
- Tara Katuk Sweeney, Iñupiat (2018-2021)
- Bryan Newland, Bay Mills Indian Community (Ojibwe)(2021 -2025)
Reporting directly to the Assistant Secretary through are the following officers, agencies and offices:
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs (PDAS)
- Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
- Bureau of Indian Education (BIE)
- Bureau of Trust Funds Administration (BTFA)
- Office of Congressional and Legislative Affairs (OCL)
- Office of Public Affairs (OPA)
- Office of Federal Acknowledgment (OFA)
- Office of Indian Gaming (OIG)
- Office of Regulatory Affairs and Collaborative Action (RACA)
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Economic Development (DASPED)
- Offices of Indian Energy and Economic Development (IEED)
- Office of Self-Governance (OSG)
- Executive Director to the White House Council on Native American Affairs
Deputy Assistant Secretary – Management (DASM)
- Division of Administration and Resources Management Division of Internal Evaluation and Assessment
- Office of Budget and Performance Management
- Office of the Chief Financial Officer
- Office of Human Capital Management
- Office of Facilities, Property and Safety Management
- Office of Information Technology
