Stevens named BIA's Deputy Bureau Director for Field Operations
Bartholomew "Bart" Stevens
WASHINGTON — Bartholomew “Bart” Stevens was appointed Deputy Bureau Director for Field Operations in Albuquerque, N.M.
He is an enrolled member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe in Arizona and is a descendant of the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona, the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes in Fort Hall and the Ute Tribe in Utah.
Stevens said his mother is Lea LaRose, an enrolled member of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes. His maternal grandparents are both enrolled in Fort Hall and buried at the Mission Cemetery. His grandfather is Albert Leonard LaRose (Ute-Bannock) and his grandmother is Mary Theresa Kniffin LaRose (Shoshone). Her mother was Christine LaVatta and Phillip Kniffin also both buried at the Mission. Her brothers were Phillip Chuck Kniffin and Ivan Kniffin of Fort Hall.
He lived with relatives in Fort Hall and Ross Fork for a while in high school and attended Blackfoot High School.
Prior to accepting the deputy bureau director position, Stevens worked as regional director for the BIA’s Navajo Regional Office in Gallup, N.M., where he served for over two years. From 2014 to 2016, he served as superintendent of the Bureau’s Uintah and Ouray Agency in Fort Duchesne, Utah. Before starting at the Navajo Region, he worked for the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) serving in various leadership positions since 2006 including Deputy Bureau Director for School Operations and in BIE associate deputy directorships – acting Associate Deputy Director-East, acting Associate Deputy Director-West and acting Associate Deputy Director-Navajo – where he was responsible for the line management, direction and supervision of 16 Education Line Offices overseeing BIE-funded schools in 23 states.
“Throughout my career, I have pledged not only to uphold the federal trust responsibilities to the tribes, but to leave Indian Country a better place than when I joined federal service,” Stevens said. “I am honored to serve as the BIA’s next Deputy Director for Field Operations, and I deeply appreciate the confidence placed in me to fulfill this vision. I will do my utmost to ensure that the BIA’s mission is implemented to the best of our ability.”
The Office of Field Operations, located in Albuquerque, supports the BIA’s 12 regions and 83 agencies in delivering program services to the 574 federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes, as well as individuals, either directly or through contracts, grants or compacts. Stevens said he definitely always wanted to advance in his career and now he’s one step away from the top of BIA at the national level.
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Bryan Newland appointed Stevens to the post in the Bureau of Indian Affairs. He also appointed Kimberly Bouchard, Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians in Wisconsin as Eastern Regional Office Regional Director in Nashville, Tenn.
Sho-Ban News contributed to this report.
