Who We Are
 Larry Echo Hawk Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs |
Office of the Assistant Secretary - Indian AffairsAbout the Assistant SecretaryLarry Echo Hawk, an enrolled member of the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma, was confirmed by the United States Senate as the Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs for the U.S. Department of the Interior on May 19, 2009, and was sworn into office by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar on May 22, 2009. Mr. Echo Hawk is the 11th Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs to be confirmed since the position was established by Congress in the 1970s. In addition to carrying out the Department’s trust responsibilities regarding the management of tribal and individual Indian trust lands and assets, the Assistant Secretary is responsible for promoting the self-determination and economic self-sufficiency of the nation’s 564 Federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes and their 1.9 million enrolled members. |
 Paul Tsosie Chief of Staff to the Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs |
About the Chief of Staff to the Assistant Secretary - Indian AffairsPaul Tsosie, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation (Black Sheep Clan) of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah, was appointed by Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk to the post of Chief of Staff to the Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs effective June 15, 2009. Mr. Tsosie joined the Interior Department from his law practice, Tsosie & Hatch LLC, of West Jordan, Utah, which he started in 2002 with law partner Calvin Hatch, a Tsimshian member of the Metlakatla Indian Community in Alaska. Tsosie & Hatch LLC focused on Indian law, and as a result represented various Indian tribes in Utah and Nevada. Mr. Tsosie also practiced criminal law, as both a prosecutor and defender, in various state, federal and tribal courts. Mr. Tsosie received a Bachelor of Arts degree in History with a minor in Native American Studies (1997) from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. He also holds a Masters degree in Public Administration from BYU’s Romney Institute of Public Management (2002) and a Juris Doctor degree from the university’s J. Reuben Clark Law School (2002). |
 George Skibine Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Economic Development - Indian Affairs |
About the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Economic Development-Indian AffairsGeorge T. Skibine, an enrolled member of the Osage Nation of Oklahoma, is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Economic Development – Indian Affairs. He had been serving as the acting DAS since 2004 until his appointment in February 2009. On May 23, 2008, he was temporarily delegated the authority of the Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs by Interior Deputy Secretary P. Lynn Scarlett following the departure of Assistant Secretary Carl J. Artman. Mr. Skibine acted in that capacity until the swearing-in of Larry Echo Hawk on May 22, 2009. Mr. Skibine continues to serve as the acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Economic Development-Indian Affairs. |
 Mike Smith Deputy Bureau Director, Field Operations |
Office of the Deputy Bureau Director, Field OperationsAbout the Deputy Director, Field OperationsMichael R. Smith is the Deputy Bureau Director, Field Operations, for the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) in Washington, D.C. He became the Deputy in November, 2004 and had previously served in senior management positions as the Regional Director, Southern Plains Region in Anadarko, Oklahoma and Director of the Office of Tribal Services in Washington, D.C. |
Keith O. Moore Director, Bureau of Indian Education |
Office of the Director, Bureau of Indian EducationAbout the Director |
Regions
Click the map to view our regions and their office contact information and the tribes served by that region