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Subject: [NATIVE-AMERICAN-NEWS] Secretary Norton Names Aurene M. Martin Acting Assistant Secretary - Indian Affa
Date: Sat, 11 Jan 2003 14:13:52 EST

Office of the Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs Contact: Nedra Darling
For Immediate Release: Jan. 6, 2003 202-219-4152

Secretary Norton Names Aurene M. Martin
Acting Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Interior Secretary Gale Norton today announced her
designation of Aurene M. Martin, a member of the Bad River Band of Lake
Superior Chippewa, as Acting Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs. "Aurene
Martin brings solid experience in Indian affairs and a commitment to
excellence to her new role," said Secretary Norton. "She will be an able
leader for the Bureau of Indian Affairs during its transition into an
efficient and effective Indian service." Martin had served as Deputy
Assistant Secretary under Assistant Secretary Neal McCaleb, who recently
retired from public service.



"I'm deeply honored to accept Secretary Norton's designation," Martin said,
"and I am confident that our efforts to improve the BIA will result in
improved services to the trust beneficiaries and the federally recognized
tribes."

In October 2001, Martin joined the Interior Department as Counselor to the
Assistant Secretary after having served as Republican senior counsel to the
Senate Committee on Indian Affairs since January 1999, where she oversaw
Indian health care, gaming and self-determination issues and appropriations.
>From October 1998 to January 1999 she served as Director of Congressional and
Public Affairs for the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC).

>From June 1993 to 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.

Martin was born in Shawano, Wisconsin, and was 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 and a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of
Wisconsin Law School 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 the 562 federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native
tribal governments. The Assistant Secretary also oversees the Bureau of
Indian Affairs, an agency with 10,500 employees nationwide, which is
responsible for providing services to approximately 1.4 million individual
American Indians and Alaska Natives from the federally recognized tribes.

Note to Editors: A photo of Ms. Martin may be viewed via the Interior
Department's web site at www.doi.gov.

-DOI-

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