Inside this issue:

Trust Business 

Processes Progress

2

Note from the 

Special Trustee

2

OST Welcomes 

Appraisal Function

2

Handbook Complete 

OST Meetings in NM

2 

3

New Trade Booth 

MMS Back Online

3 

3

UMI Receives 

Award

4

Trust Records 

Review

4

responsible for the management of trust reform 

projects and that a business model for the future 

management of these 

projects be developed. 

The Secretary of the Interior and the Special Trustee have concurred with 

these recommendations. 

On January 24, 2002, 

EDS provided a second 

report to the Department 

(continued on back)

W

ithin the past 

few months, 

Electronic 

Data Systems (EDS), an 

independent consulting 

company hired to review 

the Department’s implementation of a number 

of trust reform projects, 

completed two reports 

on the status of trust 

reform. 

In its first report published November 12, 

2002, EDS reviewed the 

progress of the BIA data 

cleanup effort and the 

Trust Asset and Accounting Management 

System (TAAMS). 

Among other findings, 

EDS noted that the goals 

of the data cleanup and 

TAAMS projects are 

vague, and tools to 

measure and monitor 

their success are lacking. 

EDS recommended that 

DOI appoint a single, 

accountable official to be 

T

he Tribal Leader 

Task Force on 

Trust Asset Management provided a 

report to the Secretary of 

the Interior on June 4, 

2002 that includes its 

recommendations on 

Interior’s future organization of the trust asset 

management functions. 

The Task Force has been 

holding monthly meetings at locations across 

the country to review 

proposals relating to the 

organization of the 

Department’s trust 

responsibility. The 

meetings also have provided a forum for discussions on general trust 

issues. 

After being invited to the 

March 2002 meeting by 

the co-directors of the 

Task Force, Special 

Trustee Tom Slonaker 

has attended every Task 

Force meeting and has 

praised the Task Force 

for its thoughtful consideration of these important issues. 

The Task Force considered numerous options 

to reorganize the structure of the Department’s 

trust responsibilities. 

These ranged from the 

Secretary’s November 

2001 proposal to transfer all DOI trust functions to a new Bureau of 

Indian Trust Asset Management (BITAM), to 

the creation of a new 

Deputy Secretary or Assistant Secretary of Trust 

position within Interior. 

All of the proposals selected by the Task Force 

would establish a new, 

senior -level position in 

charge of the trust 

responsibility. In addition, the proposals establish a more clear 

chain of command for 

trust issues to improve 

accountability. Special 

Trustee Slonaker stated 

that these proposals “are 

an important step for 

effective trust reform” 

and that “the key to success will be the leadership at the top of the 

organization, in addition 

to the project management throughout the 

reform effort.” 

Trust Matters

Tribal Task Force Recommends New Look to 

DOI Trust Organization

Special points of interest:

• The Special Trustee now holds 

regular OST All-Hands meetings in Albuquerque. 

• The OTFM-BIA Procedures 

Handbook has been completed. 

• The EDS Reports and the 

Ninth Quarterly Report to the 

Court are available on the DOI 

web site at www.doi.gov

Department of the 

Interior —Office 

of the Special 

Trustee for 

American Indians

June 2002 

Volume 2, Issue 2

EDS Issues Reports on Trust Reform
terest between the leasing and valuation functions, and will ensure the 

independence, objectivity, accountability and oversight of the Indian 

valuation and appraisal responsibilities. This realignment will allow for 

better service to the trust beneficiaries.

Current BIA appraisal staff are now a 

part of the new Office of Appraisal 

Services (OAS) within the OST organization. OST welcomes our new 

colleagues. 

O

n June 16, 2002, the transfer 

of the appraisal function 

from the Bureau of Indian 

Affairs to the Office of the Special 

Trustee for American Indians was 

completed. The transfer was authorized by Secretarial Order Number 

3240, which was signed on March 12, 

2002.

This realignment will separate the 

land valuation and appraisal functions from the other leasing and realty activities currently performed by 

the BIA. Separating these activities 

will alleviate the existence of any 

apparent or perceived conflict of inT

he Department, in conjunction with the Tribal Task 

Force, is working to identify 

and document existing trust business processes. The effort, called 

“As-Is Business Process Modeling,” 

is a review, or mapping, of core 

trust business processes as they 

exist today. 

This project is being performed by a 

team of DOI employees, Tribal task 

Force representatives and EDS contracted facilitators. The team is 

traveling throughout Indian Country interviewing the people who perform the day-to-day business of 

Indian trust asset management. 

Page 2 Trust Matters

From left: Robert Grijalva, Senior Review Appraiser 

and Gabriel Sneezy, Chief Appraiser.

Trust Business Processes Under Review

The information gathered through 

interviews and extensive workshop 

discussion sessions will be documented in a detailed process modeling format and will result in the 

“As-Is Trust Business Models.” 

These models will serve as the necessary foundation for determining 

which processes work well and 

which ones need to be reformed or 

reengineered to increase efficiency, 

accountability and to allow for a 

high level of service to the Indian 

beneficiaries. The future identification of consistent trust business 

processes, or operational standards, 

will be dependent upon the recommendations of the same DOI and 

Tribal personnel whose expertise 

was essential to the documentation 

of the As-Is Trust Business Models.

This project will allow for a more 

consistent delivery of trust services 

to beneficiaries, and will encourage 

the development of the comprehensive resources required, including 

systems, staffing and training, necessary to support the trust management personnel responsible for the 

delivery of the highest level of service to beneficiaries. 

Interagency Procedures 

Handbook Finished

The OTFM-BIA Interagency Procedures Handbook has been completed. 

The handbook is the result of extensive efforts of OST and BIA personnel 

to map the policies and procedures 

relating to the administration of trust 

accounts. Training on the handbook 

will begin in the near future.

OST Welcomes Appraisal Function and Staff 

Note from the 

Special Trustee

Trust reform is now at a critical 

juncture. Efforts are underway 

at DOI to determine the future 

structure of the organization 

that will be responsible for carrying out the trust responsibilities, while many current activities are proceeding under tight 

deadlines and with limited staff 

resources. These circumstances 

may mean that some of us face 

daily challenges in accomplishing our duties. Let’s keep in 

mind, however, that our work 

has a direct impact on the lives 

of trust beneficiaries. We must 

continue to put forward our best 

efforts.

I would like to particularly recognize the employees at the Office of Trust Records, who are 

frequently operating under tight 

deadlines for document production requests, and commend 

them on the job they are doing. 

at work.
 OTFM Debuts New Trade Show Booth

I

n recent months, Special Trustee Tom Slonaker has been 

holding OST all-employee 

meetings in Albuquerque, N.M. 

One such meeting was held in April 

and two in May 2002. 

The meetings serve as an opportunity for an exchange of dialogue 

between the Special Trustee and 

OST employees in the field. Specifically, Mr. Slonaker enjoys the opportunity to inform OST personnel 

in Albuquerque of recent events and 

trust reform activities occurring in 

the Washington, D.C. headquarters 

office. However, just as importantly, the meetings also provide a 

forum for employees to seek answers to questions they have regarding the status of trust reform 

overall, and specific activities of the 

Washington office.

Mr. Slonaker characterized these 

meetings as “an important way for 

the resumption of the MMS accounting systems, efforts have been 

underway to reconcile, or balance, 

the estimated payments distributed 

previously with the correct royalty 

data that new has been supplied. 

MMS will continue to work to 

reduce the backlog of production 

information accumulated during 

the internet shutdown to expedite 

future royalty payments to beneficiaries. 

O

n March 20, 2002, the Minerals Management Service 

(MMS) received approval 

from the U.S. District Court for the 

District of Columbia to bring its 

computer systems back on-line and 

to resume operations of its accounting systems. The mechanics associated with the system resumption 

resulted in the first transmission of 

oil and gas royalty information for 

distribution on March 25, 2002. 

These royalties related to data that 

was in the queue for distribution 

immediately prior to the shutdown.

During the time that the computer 

systems were shut down, estimated 

royalty payments totaling $3.5 million were made to Indian account 

holders on February 22, 2002 and 

March 22, 2002 to mitigate any 

adverse financial impact of the shut 

down to beneficiaries. Following 

O

ST has a new and improved 

trade show booth. Created 

in time to debut at the November 2001, NCAI meeting in 

Washington state, the booth includes general information about 

the mission and functions of the 

Office of Trust Funds Management, 

as well as photographs of OTFM 

employees and trust beneficiaries. 

The new booth is the result of the 

efforts of Helen Riggs and Faye 

Ward of the OTFM Albuquerque 

office to improve the visual presence of OST at public functions. 

All Hands Meetings Held in Albuquerque

Following Shutdown, Oil and Gas Payments Back Online

Volume 2, Issue 2 Page 3

Left to Right: Rae Padilla (OTFM—NM), Deputy Secretary Steven Griles, 

Madonna Renville (OTFM—WA), and Cheryl Keiffer (OTFM—WA).

me to stay in touch with members 

of the OTFM, OTR and OTRM 

staff, to answer their questions and 

to hear, first hand, any concerns 

they might have about trust reform.”

As often as scheduling considerations permit, Mr. Slonaker intends 

to hold all-employee meetings to 

coincide with his frequent trips to 

Albuquerque OST offices.
Training Contractor Receives Distinguished Award

2002 awards was “Celebrating Excellence Through Courage,” and Upper 

Mohawk was honored in the company 

of other awardees who represented the 

federal government, corporate sectors 

and academia. 

The Department of the Interior was 

one of the organizations that nominated Upper Mohawk for this outstanding achievement, and OST offers 

its congratulations to UMI on this 

award. 

U

pper Mohwak Inc. (UMI) 

founder and CEO Ken Barnes was honored recently as 

one of the “Fifty Influential Minorities 

in Business.” OST has contracted with 

Upper Mohawk to provide general trust 

training to Departmental and Tribal 

trust employees. 

The distinguished award was presented 

by the Minority Business & Professionals Network, Inc. at its Fourth Annual 

Awards Gala on May 23, 2002 in 

Washington, D.C. The theme of the 

Department of the Interior

1849 C Street, NW, Suite 5140

Washington, DC 20240

Phone: 202 -208-4866

Fax: 202 -208-7545

Department of the Interior — Office 

of the Special Trustee for 

American Indians

EDS Reports 

(continued from front) 

on the effectiveness of the Department’s Trust reform efforts to 

date. The report makes recommendations to fulfill the Department’s fiduciary duty more effectively and to coordinate the management of these programs. A 

review of those recommendations 

is underway.

Office of Trust Records Update

R

ecords Assessments currently are conducted by employees from 

the Office of Trust Records to review the volume, physical condition, and location of all records at a particular office or location. 

These assessments are essential to understanding how to improve record 

storage conditions, the number of records in need of appropriate disposition and the characteristics of equipment or systems needed to better protect active records. 

To date, records assessments at 95 BIA regional and agency locations have 

been completed. Assessments also have been started at BIA Central Offices (East and West), and Office of Trust Funds Management locations.

Records Schedules are the key to any successful records management 

program. Schedules include a description of each records series and detailed instructions for records disposition. They must be comprehensive 

and include all records, regardless of format. The Archivist of the United 

States must approve all records schedules before they can be implemented. 

In March, the BIA/OST Records Schedule Working Group met in Albuquerque, NM and accepted a proposal presented by the BIA Technical Program Expert to review and restructure the schedules functionally. Work 

continues on the development of BIA land-related (textual and electronic) 

and OTFM (textual) records schedules. OTR also worked with OTFM Field 

Managers to identify and define records and to develop filing plans for 

records that are created and received at OTFM Agency locations. 

Program Evaluations of records management programs have been conducted at 95 BIA locations. These evaluations are conducted pursuant to 

National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) regulations that 

require all Federal Agencies to conduct cyclic evaluations of their records 

management programs. The evaluations conducted to date are the first 

cycle of evaluations— OTR has designed a foundation upon which Cycle II 

(Records Program Improvement) will be based. Using NARA guidance 

and information used for the first evaluations at BIA field locations, OTR 

established standards that local records management programs will be 

evaluated against in the future.

Ms. Pat Lawson Muse, NBC4 News Anchor (left) and Ms. 

Robin W. Berry, President and CEO SaiTex Engineering 

(right) present the award to Upper Mohawk Inc., founder 

and CEO, Mr. Ken Barnes.