Inside this issue:

Tribal Consultations 

Held on Appraisals

2

Special Trustee 

Comments

2

Trust Training Update2

New Trust Officers 

Join OST

3

NM Office Moves 

Self-Governance 

Conference

3 

3

ABC/M Underway 

at OST

3

Records Agreement 

Established

4

exhibition area throughout the week, where participants mingled and 

learned about current 

trust reform activities. 

General information on 

the responsibilities of 

OST, as well information 

on specific projects including the “To -Be” 

model, appraisal consultation sessions and locating whereabouts unknown account holders, 

was provided.

D

uring the week 

of November 

17-21, 2003, 

OST attended the 60th 

Annual Convention of 

the National Congress 

of American Indians in 

Albuquerque, NM. 

Entitled “Sovereign 

Nations, One Enduring 

Voice,” the convention 

was attended by an estimated 3,000-4,000 

tribal leaders and their 

representatives.

One of the specialized 

breakout sessions held 

featured “A Dialogue 

with the Special Trustee for American Indians.” Special Trustee 

Ross Swimmer participated on a panel to discuss the delivery of 

Indian fiduciary trust 

responsibilities in Indian Country.

OST also staffed a 

booth in the conference 

O

n September 30, 

2003, the draft 

“To-Be” reengineered trust business 

model was completed. 

The draft model details recommended 

new processes for 

functions relating to 

five categories of “core 

business processes” 

including:

1. Beneficiary Relationship Development 

and Management,

2. Financial Operations,

 3. Ownership,

4. Land and Natural 

Resources Planning, 

and 

5. Land and Natural 

Resources Use and Management. 

This draft model includes 

detailed process flow diagrams for more than 130 

sub-processes, and a 

comparative analysis of 

the current, “As-Is” business process to the new 

recommendation. 

This initial model now 

will be presented to beneficiaries and stakeholders 

through a series of site 

visits scheduled this winter. During these visits, comments are requested on the feasibility of the model and on 

potential enhancements and improvements to it. 

In addition, the draft 

model will be reviewed 

by a private sector trust 

company to ensure it 

meets appropriate fiduciary requirements.

This initial model is the 

result of significant 

collaboration over the 

last several months 

with DOI trust-related 

and tribal personnel, and 

represents a major milestone in trust reform. 

Trust Matters

Draft “To-Be” Model Completed

A copy of the 

draft “To-Be” 

model and the 

schedule of regional meetings 

are available on 

the OST web site 

at 

www.ost.doi.gov

Department of the 

Interior —Office 

of the Special 

Trustee for 

American Indians

December 2003 

Volume 3, Issue 1

 OST Attends NCAI 60th Annual Convention

“To-Be” Model Regional Site 

Visit Schedule

December 2 -4: Oklahoma City, OK 

(Eastern Oklahoma, Southern Plains 

and Eastern Regions)

December 9-11: Portland, OR 

(Northwest, Pacific and Alaska 

Regions)

December 16-18: Minneapolis, MN 

(Midwest, Great Plains and Rocky 

Mountain Regions)

January 13-15: Rapid City, S.D 

( Open session)
T

he five-day Fiduciary Overview Program training 

course, presented by the Cannon Financial Institute, will be offered several times this winter. The 

course is open to Agency and Deputy 

Agency Superintendents, Trust Officers, Trust Administrators and OST, 

BIA and Tribal Senior Management. 

Other employees must seek approval 

from their supervisor and the OST 

training staff to attend.

There is no course registration cost. 

Participants only pay travel and per 

diem to attend. For additional information or to register for courses, 

please contact Kimberly Belone at 

(505) 816-1063.

O

n September 24, 2003, and 

October 28, 2003, OST held 

tribal consultation meetings 

to discuss the impact of OST’s potential participation in the Department of the Interior initiative to 

consolidate all bureau and office 

real estate appraisal activities into a 

single office. Notice of the consultation sessions was first published in 

the Federal Register on September 

17, 2003, and comments were acPage 2 Trust Matters

Appraisal Tribal Consultations Conducted

cepted through December 1, 2003.

Secretary Norton first announced her 

intent to consolidate the various real 

estate appraisal offices on June 19, 

2003, in an effort to achieve significant reform of the appraisal function. 

This initiative responds to longstanding concerns regarding appraisals that have been documented in a 

variety of reports issued over several 

decades by the Department’s Inspector General, the General Accounting 

Office and The Appraisal Foundation. 

A centralized Departmental appraisal 

organization would allow for unified 

lines of supervision to assure appraiser independence and unbiased 

valuation services, and to ensure 

public confidence in the Department’s handling and valuation of 

land transactions.

Issues unique to the appraisal of Indian trust assets as conducted by 

OST’s Office of Appraisal Services 

require special consideration. These 

issues include self-governance and 

self-determination compacts and 

contracts, future funding mechanisms, the applicability of Indian 

preference to appraisal positions, 

and the process for the prioritization 

of appraisal requests. These issues 

now are under consideration by OST. Interagency Handbook 

Training Completed 

Note from the Special 

Trustee 

I

 am pleased to announce that the 

reorganization of the Office of the 

Special Trustee for American Indians 

is almost complete. The first two pilot 

agencies in OK, Anadarko and Concho ,

have new Deputy Superintendents for 

Trust and new Trust Officers in place. 

The folks at these two agencies are 

changing the way the fiduciary trust is 

managed at Interior to bring Interior 

into compliance with its fiduciary trust 

duties and to better serve the 

beneficiaries. In addition to 

completing the new organization, OST 

is completing the “To-Be” Model with 

the help of the BIA, other DOI bureaus and offices, and tribal personnel, 

and will soon be able to offer new and 

exciting opportunities to beneficiaries 

for first-class trust services. The 

dedication, hardwork and sensitivity of 

OST employees cannot be matched, and 

it is truly a pleasure to work with 

everyone during this exciting time.

Fiduciary Overview Courses Offered this Winter

T

he final regional training 

sessions on the OST/BIA 

Interagency Procedures Handbook were completed this summer. This brings the total number of DOI trust-related and 

Tribal trust reform staff who 

completed this training to over 

1,360. 

This successful training effort 

was conducted over a two year 

period, and involved two -day 

classroom training sessions in 

every BIA region. 

Thanks to all participants.

Fiduciary Overview 

Course Schedule

 December 8-12: Phoenix, AZ 

February 9-13: Sacramento, 

CA

Appraisal Foundation 

Report Released

On August 29, 2003, The Appraisal 

Foundation released its final report 

on the evaluation of the OST Office of 

Appraisal Services (OAS). The review 

found the degree of appraisal independence within OAS to be “very 

good,” and the organization, policies 

and procedures, overall efficiency 

and staff credentials and expertise of 

OAS to be “generally good.”

The specific findings and recommendations are included in the report. 

Copies of the report can be obtained 

by calling OST at 202 -208-4866. 
D

uring early October 2003, 

the Albuquerque OST offices moved to a new location. With the exception of the Office 

of Trust Records and 

the field operations 

staff for the Southwest Region, all OST 

Albuquerque employees are now consolidated into a single building.

This move will allow 

for increased coordination and 

communication among employees 

who previously were located in offices on nine different floors of the 

Compass Bank building and elsewhere in the Albuquerque metropolitan area. Improved coordination 

among and between offices, 

and an increased level of 

efficiency 

should result 

from the move. 

Office and individual phone 

numbers have 

not changed 

and will remain the same at the new 

location:

4400 Masthead Street, NE. 

Albuquerque, NM 87109

O

ST is pleased to announce 

the appointment of the first 

Fiduciary Trust Officers at 

the two pilot sites in accordance 

with the BIA and OST reorganization. 

Starting on October 20, 2003, Mr. 

Terrence Bruner began service as 

the Trust Officer at the Anadarko 

Agency, and on November 3, 2003, 

Mr. Henry Ware began as the Trust 

Officer at the Concho Agency. 

Mr. Bruner and Mr. Ware both 

come to OST with impressive backgrounds, knowledge and experience 

with the Department’s fiduciary 

trust responsibility. Mr. Bruner 

most recently served as the BIA 

Tribal Government Services Officer 

at the Anadarko Agency, and Mr. 

Ware has served in the private sector for the last fourteen years as an 

attorney practicing federal Indian 

law and representing clients in fiduciary trust matters.

Both Trust Officers will work closely 

and cooperatively with the new BIA 

Agency Deputy Superintendents for 

Trust at these locations. Last September, Ms. Robin Phillips began as 

Deputy Superintendent for Trust at 

the Anadarko Agency and Mr. Scott 

McCorkle became the new Deputy 

Superintendent for Trust at the 

Concho Agency. The Trust Officers 

will work with the BIA, tribes and 

beneficiaries to ensure that trust 

assets are managed prudently for 

the benefit of the beneficiaries, and 

to provide technical advice and expertise in areas that include complex trust transactions or where a 

conflict of interest may exist. Trust 

Officers also will serve as the primary contact for beneficiaries with 

questions about the management of 

their trust assets.

OST has initiated recruitment activity for Fiduciary Trust Officers at 

the Pima, Palm Springs and Pine 

Ridge Agencies, and will begin recruitment at the Eastern Navajo 

Agency Office in the near future. 

OST Implements ABC/M

E

ffective October 6, 2003, OST 

began the implementation of 

the Administration’s Activity Based 

Cost Management (ABC/M) initiative. The ABC/M is a management 

tool used to capture cost information associated with the work performed by OST employees who are 

providing important services and 

products to customers. Information identified through ABC/M will 

be used to develop and justify future budget requests, identify personnel needs, increase efficiency 

and improve business processes. If 

employees have questions, contact 

Angela Herring at (202) 208-4866.

Albuquerque OST Office on the Move

New Fiduciary Trust Officers Join OST

Volume 3, Issue 1 Page 3

OST Attends SelfGovernance Conference

On October 7, 2003, several OST 

employees had the opportunity 

to attend and participate in the fall 

Tribal Self-Governance Conference 

in Palm Springs, CA.

Principal Deputy Special Trustee 

Donna Erwin appeared on a panel 

discussion with BIA and tribal representatives to present information 

on a range of trust reform issues. 

Ms. Erwin provided a presentation 

on the status of the implementation 

of the OST reorganization, and discussed the progress and current 

status of the “To -Be” reengineering 

effort to redesign and develop standardized fiduciary trust business 

processes. 

Mr. Gabriel Sneezy, Acting Director 

of the Office of Appraisal Services, 

also led a discussion on the current 

appraisal process. Mr. Sneezy discussed the transfer of the appraisal 

office from the BIA to OST in 2000, 

and provided information on the 

technical aspects of the appraisal 

process, from processing appraisal 

requests to the review of final reports.
cords. 

The MOU also creates a new archival 

and records management studies program at Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, KS. This program 

will be developed jointly by the Department, NARA and Haskell, and will establish a skilled workforce to support 

the ongoing and future management of 

federal American Indian records. It 

also will help support the management 

of American Indian records to be 

 American Indian Records Repository Agreement Established 

stored at the Lenexa facility. Courses 

are expected to begin being offered to 

Haskell students in the fall of 2004. 

Secretary Norton hailed the MOU, stating “our joint partnership with Haskell 

Indian Nations University will also 

result in a highly -trained, Native 

American workforce that will help protect these records for future generations.” 

O

n September 12, 2003, a 

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between the Department of the Interior 

and the National Archives and Records 

Administration (NARA) to establish an 

American Indian Records Repository, 

located at NARA’s regional records 

services facility in Lenexa, KS. The 

MOU ensures that the highest standards will be observed in the preservation and protection of American Indian 

records, including fiduciary trust reDepartment 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

OST Advisory Board 

Update

O

ST is in the process of selecting members for its Special 

Trustee Advisory Board. The Advisory Board was authorized by the 

American Indian Trust Fund Management Reform Act of 1994 and is 

composed of nine individuals including trust experts and individuals who represent account holders 

and tribal interests. The Special 

Trustee is in the final stages of 

selecting the membership for the 

2003 -2004 Advisory Board. 

When a selection is made, an announcement will be prepared, and 

included in this newsletter. 

 We’re Back!

After a long hiatus, OST is reinstating its quarterly newsletter. This 

newsletter will provide information 

on trust reform activities including 

the “To-Be” reengineering effort and 

the progress of the OST reorganization. Copies of the newsletter will be 

made available to OST employees, 

tribes, individual beneficiaries and 

other interested parties through OST 

offices. The newsletter is produced 

by the OST Office of External Affairs 

staff in Albuquerque, NM and Washington, D.C. If you have any comments or questions about the newsletter, or ideas for future information 

or articles to include, please contact 

Pat Gerard at (505) 816-1313 or 

Carrie Moore at (202) 208-4866.