Larry EchoHawk, the new head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, says he's ready to show the "right leadership" for his agency.

Three assistant secretaries ran the BIA during the Bush administration. EchoHawk, a member of the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma, plans to stay put for at least the next four years.

"We just need to apply the right leadership, and I think that rank-and-file members of Indian Affairs are ready to work," EchoHawk told The Idaho Statesman.

EchoHawk's top priorities are education, economic development and law enforcement. In the last area, he plans to use his background as a state attorney general to improve public safety and justice systems in Indian Country.

"That perhaps is the one area that I feel I've got the most potential to contribute to, personally, because of my law enforcement background," said EchoHawk, who was the first Native American to be elected as a state attorney general. "We're going to move ahead in that area, aggressively, in the next four years."

Get the Story:
EchoHawk has 'his hands full' with Bureau of Indian Affairs position, insiders say (The Idaho Statesman 7/20)

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