Cobell Lawsuit & Settlement | Trust

Salazar names Indian Trust Administration and Reform panel





Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced the five members of the National Commission on Indian Trust Administration and Reform.

The commission was created by the $3.4 billion settlement to the Indian trust fund lawsuit. Its members will evaluate trust reform efforts at the Interior Department and deliver a report within two years.

"This commission will play a key role in our ongoing efforts to empower Indian nations and strengthen nation-to-nation relationships," Secretary Salazar said in a press release. “The five members each bring extensive experience and knowledge to the commission, and I look forward to their findings and recommendations for how we can fully meet our trust responsibilities to the First Americans.”

"Our trust administration must be more transparent, responsive, customer-friendly and accountable in managing these substantial funds and assets,” Deputy Secretary David J. Hayes said. “Building upon the progress made with the historic Cobell Settlement, this commission will help usher in a new era of trust administration.”

The members of the commission are:
• Fawn R. Sharp, the president of the Quinault Nation of Washington and the president of the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians. She will serve as chair of the commission.
• Dr. Peterson Zah, the former president of the Navajo Nation.
• Stacy Leeds, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma.
• Tex G. Hall, the chairman of Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation of North Dakota.
• Bob Anderson, a member of the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa Indians of Minnesota.

Join the Conversation