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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release October 9, 1997

                    PRESIDENT CLINTON NAMES KEVIN GOVER 
                 AS ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR INDIAN AFFAIRS 
                    AT THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR

The President today announced his intent to nominate Kevin Gover as Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs at the U.S. Department of the Interior.

Mr. Gover, of Corrales, New Mexico, is a partner in the law firm of Gover, Williams & Janov in Albuquerque, N.M., where he specializes in Federal Indian law, natural resources and environmental law, and housing. Prior to that, he was an attorney with the law firm of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson in Washington, D.C. Mr. Gover served on the Board of Directors of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas, the Southwestern Association for Indian Art, and the Land and Water Fund of the Rockies. He holds a B.A. in Public and International Affairs from Princeton University and a J.D. from the University of New Mexico School of Law. He is a member of the Pawnee Tribe.

The Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs at the U.S. Department of the Interior is responsible for the oversight and management of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). The BIA administers Federal programs for Federally-recognized Indian tribes and is responsible for promoting Indian self-determination. The BIA has about 11,000 employees and an estimated annual budget of $1.6 billion. The Assistant Secretary's job in part is to ensure that BIA's programs, including law enforcement, social services, education, housing improvement, loan opportunities for Indian businesses, and leasing of land, are delivered.

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