Friday, December 11, 2015

Kevin Washburn Stepping Down

Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs (AS-IA) has decided he has had enough.

Head of US Bureau of Indian Affairs announces resignation

By Felicia Fonseca, Associated Press

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — The head of the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs announced Thursday that he is resigning and will return to New Mexico as a law professor.

Kevin Washburn, a member of the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma, has been on leave from the University of New Mexico since he was selected in 2012 to oversee Indian Affairs for the federal government. He said issues confronting Indian Country, such as youth suicides, have weighed heavily on him, and he wants to dedicate more time to family.

"The responsibilities are just immense, and the challenges are great," he told The Associated Press. "Frankly, it's taken a couple of centuries for the problems to get this bad, and it will take a long time to solve them." [Emph. Added]

Washburn described as recent successes settlements over the bureau's mismanagement of royalties for natural resources on reservations, the reform of leasing regulations, better coordination with tribes and a push for tribes to take over education of their children.

Read Full Article Here-->Head of US Bureau of Indian Affairs announces resignation