BIA is Among Major Sponsors of RES 2005
"Helping tribes create a path to prosperity"

WASHINGTON - Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs David W. Anderson today announced that the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) is one of several major sponsors of "RES 2005," the 19th Annual National Reservation Economic Summit & American Indian Business Trade Fair, which will be held Feb. 7-10, 2005, at the Las Vegas Hilton in Las Vegas, Nev. The BIA also will host one of four conference tracks and Anderson will be the keynote speaker at the RES 2005 Indian Business Achievement Awards Luncheon on Feb. 10.

"We are pleased and proud to support RES 2005, which is an important venue for strengthening tribal economies and promoting Indian entrepreneurship," Anderson said. "Indian country is a valued contributor to the national economy. We will continue to do our part to help tribes create a path to prosperity."

The summit and trade fair is an annual event held by the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development (NCAIED), a non-profit business management organization that seeks to develop and expand the American Indian private sector through employment, entrepreneurship and economic development.

The Bureau will conduct seminars at this year's event on how tribes can develop their political, legal and corporate infrastructures and diversify their economies. Other seminars for tribes in the BIA track will focus on accessing capital, leveraging and maximizing federal and private sector resources, success stories, and lessons learned. The Bureau also will highlight its programs that support tribal governance and business development.

The Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs has responsibility for fulfilling the Interior Department's trust responsibilities to individual and tribal trust beneficiaries, as well as promoting tribal self-determination, self-governance and economic development for the nation's 562 federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes and their 1.8 million members.

Information on NCAIED and RES 2005 can be found at www.ncaied.org.