Copyright © 2002 NLThomas
All Rights Reserved

WASHINGTON - Interior Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs Neal A. McCaleb today announced that he has confirmed Aurene Martin as his Deputy Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs. She had been acting deputy assistant secretary since May 28, 2002. Ms. Martin, a member of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, came to the Interior Department in October 2001 as Counselor to Assistant Secretary McCaleb.

Before joining the Interior Department, Ms. Martin had served as Republican senior counsel to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs since January 1999, where she covered Indian health care, gaming and self-determination issues and appropriations. From October 1998 to January 1999 she was Director of Congressional and Public Affairs for the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC).

From June 1993 through October 1998, she worked for the Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin and left as Senior Staff Attorney. While there she worked on all aspects of tribal representation including Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) litigation, gaming, and self-determination and tribal government issues.

Ms. Martin was born in Shawano, Wisconsin, and raised on the Menominee Indian Reservation. She attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she majored in History, Italian and History of Culture. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1989. Ms. Martin also received her Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1993. She is a member of the Wisconsin State Bar and has been active in its Indian law section, including serving as an officer of the section.

The Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs has responsibility for fulfilling the Department's trust responsibilities and promoting self-determination on behalf of tribal governments, American Indians and Alaska Natives. The Assistant Secretary, who oversees the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Federal Acknowledgment Process, is also responsible for providing services to approximately 1.4 million American Indians and Alaska Natives from the 559 federally recognized tribes.

Contact: Nedra Darling of the U.S. Department of the Interior, 202-219-4152.