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Blog Category: Native American Affairs

U.S. Economic Development Administration: Supporting Workforce Development in Rural Alaska

Submitted on May 8, 2014 - 3:00pm
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AVCP Vice President Michael Hoffman (far left) and General Counsel Carol Brown (second from right) pose with EDA Director of External Affairs Angela Belden Martinez and Aaron Trujillo, the Commerce Department’s Acting Senior Advisor on Native American Affairs following the announcement of an EDA investment to support workforce development in rural Alaska.

Guest Blog Post By Angela Belden Martinez, Director of External Affairs, U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration

It was my pleasure today to be joined by Aaron Trujillo, the Commerce Department’s Acting Senior Advisor on Native American Affairs - who serves as the primary liaison between the Department of Commerce and tribal leaders of federally-recognized tribes and regional tribal organizations – in welcoming some very special guests from the Association of Village Council Presidents (AVCP) of Bethel, Alaska.

During the meeting with AVCP Vice President Michael Hoffman and AVCP General Counsel Carol Brown, we informed them that AVCP is receiving a U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) investment to support workforce development in rural Alaska.

Specifically, the $697,991 EDA grant will help the AVCP purchase equipment that will be used to train workers in several mechanical disciplines to help the delta of the Yukon and Kuskokwin rivers region rebound from the impact of the commercial failures of area fisheries and tributaries.

Providing these new training opportunities for displaced workers is an important step to getting this rural, regional economy back on track. 

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Working Together with Indian Country

Submitted on June 4, 2013 - 11:25am
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Photo of Senior Adviser Dee Alexander

Guest blog post by Dee Alexander, Commerce's Senior Adviser on Native American Affairs

Last month, Acting Secretary of Commerce Rebecca Blank signed the “Tribal Consultation and Coordination Policy," (PDF) which establishes the manner in which the Department works with federally-recognized Indian tribes when developing Department policies that have tribal implications.

The Consultation Policy follows from President Obama’s Presidential Memorandum on Tribal Consultation from November 2009 which strengthens former President Bill Clinton’s Executive Order on “Consultation and Coordination with Indian Tribal Governments” (PDF). Upon signing, President Obama stated the importance of the Presidential Memorandum: “History has shown that failure to include the voices of tribal officials in formulating policy affecting their communities has all too often led to undesirable and, at times, devastating and tragic results. By contrast, meaningful dialogue between Federal officials and tribal officials has greatly improved Federal policy toward Indian tribes.”

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Spotlight on Commerce: Dee Alexander, Senior Adviser on Native American Affairs

Submitted on March 26, 2012 - 9:00am
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Dee Alexander, Senior Advisor on Native American Affairs

On December 19, 2011 Secretary of Commerce John Bryson appointed Dee Alexander as his Senior Adviser on Native American Affairs. As the Department’s Tribal Consultation Official, Alexander’s principal responsibility is implementing the Department’s Tribal Coordination and Consultation Policy, per President Obama’s Executive Order 13175 (PDF), which ensures meaningful and timely input by tribal officials in the development of policies that have tribal implications.

Alexander works closely with the Minority Business Development Agency and other Commerce bureaus to promote the Secretary’s vision for job creation and economic growth on American Indian and Alaska Native communities. As the Senior Adviser on Native American Affairs, Alexander is housed in the Secretary’s Office of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs.

While speaking at the National Congress of American Indians 2012 Executive Council, Secretary Bryson noted that one of his goals as Secretary of Commerce is to expand the relationship that already exists between the Department and Tribal Nations.

“This administration is committed to strengthening the government-to-government relationship between the United States and Indian Country. That’s why I am pleased to have Dee Alexander, a member of the Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribe, join the team as my senior adviser for Native American Affairs,” Bryson said. “Dee’s leadership has already been critical in shaping Census policy that recognizes the important place of Native Americans in the United States. I am confident that she will continue to work to create economic opportunities for all Americans, including First Americans.”

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