William Mendoza, executive director of the White House Initiative on American Natives and Alaska Natives (AIAN), will consult with tribal leaders in Flagstaff, Ariz., on Thursday, May 24, to get feedback on education matters affecting American Indians.
The consultation is an outgrowth of President Obama’s Nov. 5, 2009 Presidential Memorandum and Executive Order 13175, which directs agencies to develop a plan of action for providing regular and meaningful consultation and strengthening of government-to-government relationships with Indian tribes. Mendoza will listen to tribal leaders provide comments on the Memorandum of Understanding between the U.S. Departments of Education and Interior, which aims to expand educational opportunities and improve academic achievement for AIAN. He will also provide updates on efforts in Congress to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Act.