OPA

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today that the Department of the Interior has started work on its 4,000th American Recovery and Reinvestment Act project, a $7.2 million school improvement project at the St. Francis Indian School in South Dakota. Larry Echo Hawk, Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, will visit the school next week, where he will represent Secretary Salazar in a groundbreaking ceremony.

“The Recovery Act has given us a great opportunity to meet some of our longstanding infrastructure challenges in Indian Country, including refurbishing schools,” said Secretary Salazar. “We are thrilled to be able to fund this project that will improve the learning environment for Native American school children at the St. Francis Indian School.”

The 4,000th project will provide St. Francis Indian School with a new gymnasium and kitchen facilities that were not included in the original replacement school project (completed previously with non Recovery Act funds). St. Francis Indian School serves more than 550 students for Grades 7-12 for the Rosebud Sioux Tribe on one of the poorest reservations in the nation.

More than 18,000 Bureau of Indian Education students will benefit from improved or new schools due to Recovery investments that include construction of three new schools and provide major additions to four others.

“The $3 billion in funding allocated as part of President Obama’s economic recovery plan for tribal communities has created jobs and stimulated businesses in communities across America,” Echo Hawk added. “With children going back to school this month, the Recovery Act is helping create new opportunities and great places to learn in Indian Country.”

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 through On- the- Job Workforce training programs to more than 300 tribal members.

Through aggressive management of the Recovery Act’s large construction projects, Indian Affairs has saved $33 million, or 11 percent, of their construction allocation under the Recovery Act. Indian Affairs 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 Department of the Interior 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, Interior is making an investment in conserving America's timeless treasures – our stunning natural landscapes, our monuments to liberty, the icons of our culture and heritage – while helping American families and their communities prosper again. Interior is also focusing on renewable energy projects, the needs of Native Americans, employing youth and promoting community service.

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 Larry Echo Hawk announced today that a listening session will take place at Haskell Indian Nations University on Monday, September 20, 2010. This youth listening session is a part of America’s Great Outdoors Initiative and will be hosted by the Department of the Interior Office of Youth in the Great Outdoors and the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE).

Representatives from the Department of the Interior will be on-site at Haskell Indian Nations University to facilitate the nationwide initiative intended to gather local ideas about conservation and the environment. For more information about this initiative please visit the following website at: http://www.doi.gov/americasgreatoutdoors/.

The Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs oversees the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE), 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: Students at Haskell University, Haskell University staff, Acting President Chris Redman, Assistant Deputy Bureau Director of BIE Stephanie Birdwell, other representatives from BIE, and the Department of the Interior’s Office of Youth.

WHAT: America’s Great Outdoors Youth Listening Session.

WHEN: Monday, September 20th from 3-5pm (CDT).

WHERE: Haskell Indian Nations University Haskell Auditorium 155 Indian Avenue, Lawrence, KS 66046

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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 Stephen Prue of Haskell Indian Nations University at 785-764-6333.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk announced today that a groundbreaking ceremony will take place at the St. Francis Indian School in South Dakota on Monday, September 27, 2010. This ceremony marks the Department of the Interior’s 4,000th American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) project, a $7.2 million school improvement project at a Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) school.

Representatives from the Department of the Interior will be on-site at the 4,000th project. The project will provide St. Francis Indian School with a new gymnasium and kitchen facilities that were not included in the original replacement school project (completed previously with non-Recovery Act funds). St. Francis Indian School serves more than 550 students for Grades 7-12 for the Rosebud Sioux Tribe on one of the poorest reservations in the nation.

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; Wizipan Garriott, Policy Advisor to the Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs; Jack Rever, Director of the Office of Facilities, Environmental and Cultural Resources - Indian Affairs; Brian Drapeaux, Chief of Staff, the Bureau of Indian Education; Rodney Bourdeaux, President of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe; and other officials.

WHAT: The Department of the Interior American Recovery and Reinvestment Act 4,000th Project Gym – Kitchen Addition Groundbreaking Ceremony for the St. Francis Indian School serving the Rosebud Sioux Tribe in South Dakota. WHEN: Monday, September 27 th from 10:00 a.m. (CDT).

WHERE: St. Francis Indian School, P.O. Box 379, 502 East Warrior Drive, St. Francis, SD.

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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 Marlene Short Bull or James Hogan of St. Francis Indian School at 605-747-2299 x2104 or x2116.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk today announced Darren A. Cruzan as Deputy Bureau Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Office of Justice Services (OJS). Cruzan, an enrolled member of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, comes to the position from the Department of Defense, Pentagon Force Protection Agency (PFPA). The appointment became effective on September 27, 2010.

“I am pleased that Mr. Cruzan has accepted this challenging opportunity to lead the BIA’s Office of Justice Services,” Echo Hawk said. “His knowledge and experience in law enforcement and time at the Pentagon make him a strong member of my team.”

“Mr. Cruzan will be a crucial addition to the Bureau of Indian Affairs senior executive ranks,” said BIA Director Michael S. Black. “He has experienced law enforcement at all levels within Indian Country and brings with a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the position.”

Cruzan brings a wide range of experience to OJS, beginning as a patrolman in 1992 with the Joplin Police Department in Joplin, Mo. He served as a tribal police officer with the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, until 1995, when he was hired by the BIA and assigned to the District II OJS Office in the Eastern Oklahoma Regional Office in Muskogee, Okla.

In 1998, he was promoted to the rank of Supervisory Police Officer and assigned to the United States Indian Police Academy (IPA), located at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in Artesia, N.M. There he provided law enforcement training to newly hired police, detention and telecommunications officers working in Indian Country.

In 2001, Cruzan was promoted to Criminal Investigator assigned to the BIA’s Field Office in Portland, Ore., where he performed federal criminal investigations and provided technical law enforcement assistance to the Indian tribes located in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States.

Cruzan’s next promotion was as the Supervisory Special Agent at the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana. It was at this time that his department was honored by the Secretary of the Interior with the “Customer Service Excellence Award” (2004). The award details the recipient as “a hero of citizen centered service, a champion of government excellence, and an ambassador of creative partnerships.” Cruzan’s department was pivotal in reducing the number of Driving Under the Influence (DUI) related fatalities on the Crow Indian Reservation.

In 2004, Cruzan was asked to serve as the Senior Law Enforcement Advisor to the BIA’s Associate Director of Operations in Washington, D.C. Cruzan also served as the Indian Country Law Enforcement liaison to the Department of the Interior.

In 2006, Cruzan joined the PFPA, as the Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Criminal Investigative and Protective Directorate. While there, Cruzan supervised the day-to-day operations of the agency’s Criminal Investigations Division. He also served as the detail leader on dignitary protection missions for senior level DoD officials, both within the continental United States, and overseas. His overseas missions included assignments into Iraq, Beirut, Saudi Arabia, Germany, France, Belgium, The Czech Republic, The United Kingdom, Austria and Japan. Most recently, Cruzan was appointed by the Director of the Pentagon Force Protection Agency as Division Chief of the agency’s Recruitment and Medical Division.

“I am honored to be rejoining the OJS and to lead this group of dedicated women and men serving Indian country.” Cruzan said. “Because of the many challenges currently faced in Indian Country, it is with a sense of urgency that we will move forward with creative, innovative and meaningful initiatives designed to improve the quality of life for our tribal communities.” Cruzan said, “The recently signed Tribal Law and Order Act affords us the unique opportunity to improve law enforcement services in Indian Country and promotes positive changes in the way we serve and protect our people.” C

Cruzan is a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy (FBINA), Class 224 (2006). He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice Administration from Mountain State University, W.Va. Darren and his wife and their two daughters, live in the D.C. area

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 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).