The U.S. Department of the Interior announced this week that Bryan Mercier, a member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, will serve as director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Mercier isn’t coming in empty handed. He served in various federal agencies over the past two decades, including as regional director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs for the Northwest. He has also served in the U.S. Forest Service, the Department of the Treasury and the executive manager of the Fish and Wildlife for the Bonneville Power Administration.
“I’ve had the privilege of serving in four federal agencies, Energy, Treasury, Agriculture and Interior, each with unique missions,” Mercier said in a statement. “None have a mission as important and fulfilling as BIA’s. I’m truly honored to be selected as the bureau’s next director and look forward to building on Darryl LaCounte’s sound leadership to support Tribal sovereignty, strengthen Indian self-determination, and continue to improve our services by making the bureau an employer of choice for Native people.”