THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

PRESIDENT CLINTON NAMES JAYNE G. FAWCETT TO SERVE AS A MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE INSTITUTE OF AMERICAN INDIAN AND ALASKA NATIVE

CULTURE AND ARTS DEVELOPMENT

President Clinton today announced the recess appointment of Jayne G. Fawcett to serve as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development. Mrs. Fawcett was nominated on April 13, 2000.

Mrs. Jayne G. Fawcett, of Uncasville, Connecticut, currently serves as the Mohegan Tribal Counselor and as the Mohegan Tribal Ambassador to the United States. Previously, she spent 27 years as an educator, social worker and Chairperson of the Montville Indian Parent Committee, which was responsible for overseeing the Montville Indian Education Grant. Mrs. Fawcett Co-Chaired the Ad-Hoc Capitol Theater and Fine Arts Commission in Windham, Connecticut, and serves as a consultant for several universities in the planning and implementation of Native American curricula. She serves on the editorial board of the Mohegan's newspaper, NI YA YO (The Last Word) and is the co-author of "Symbolic Motifs on Painted Baskets of the Mohegan-Pequot" published in A Key to the Language of Woodsplint Baskets. Mrs. Fawcett is the Treasurer and a Board Member of the United South and Eastern Tribes, a member of the National Native American AIDS Prevention Council, and serves as the Mohegan delegate to the National Congress of American Indians. Additionally, she serves as an official Tribal Spokesperson. Mrs. Fawcett was formerly the First Chair of the Council of Elders/Constitutional Review Board. She is an accomplished singer and organist and serves on the Board of Directors of the Native Sun Orchestra.

Mrs. Fawcett is a graduate of the University of Connecticut and studied language arts for an additional year at Eastern Connecticut State University.

The Board of Trustees of the Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development is responsible for the direction of the Institute of American Indian Arts. The mission of the Institute is to promote the preservation and development of American Indian and Alaska Native arts and culture through programs of education and outreach to students, tribal communities and the public. The Institute is the only educational institution in the world devoted solely to the study and practice of the artistic and cultural traditions of all American Indians.

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