For e-mailed photo: Contact sonya.sanchez@ed.gov

Secretary of Education Rod Paige today announced the appointment of Victoria Vasques as the new director of the Office of Indian Education at the U.S. Department of Education.   In her new position, Vasques serves as the principal point of contact within the federal government for Indian education and for the 32 tribal colleges and universities across the nation.

"I am pleased to have at the Department of Education an individual with great experience and first-hand knowledge of Indian customs and traditions," said Secretary Paige. "Mrs. Vasques will be a tremendous asset as we implement the reforms of No Child Left Behind -- a law so important for all children, especially those who have historically been left behind."

"President Bush and Secretary Paige believe that every child should have access to a quality education and that American Indian children are no exception," said Vasques.  "I look forward to working alongside the Indian people who so proudly represent the foundation of our country."

Vasques has been serving as the executive director of the White House Initiative on Tribal Colleges and Universities and will remain the acting director until a new director is appointed.   Vasques brings to her new position more than two decades of experience in education and American Indian issues, having served as director of Indian Affairs in the Department of Energy, as an education program specialist in the Office of Indian Education, on the President???s Commission on Indian Reservation Economics and on the Presidential Commission on the HIV Epidemic in the Reagan administration.

Vasques' experience with Indian issues outside the Department of Education includes serving as a technical assistant specialist at the National Congress of American Indians, and as tribal liaison at The Committee for the 50th Presidential Inaugural.

The mission of the Office of Indian Education is to support the efforts of local education agencies, Indian tribes and organizations, postsecondary institutions, and other entities to meet the unique educational and culturally related academic needs of American Indians and Alaska Natives.  The Office of Indian Education was created in 1972 under the Indian Education Act so that these students could achieve the same challenging state performance standards as all students.

Vasques received her bachelor of science degree from California State University at Fullerton, then went on to receive teaching credentials from the University of California at Irvine.  She is part Diegueno of the San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians, Valley Center, Calif., and was named American Indian Woman of the Year in 1986.  She is also a member of the Decade Society, a non-profit organization of young Washington-area professionals dedicated to supporting local charities involved in areas such as literacy, health care, child safety, after-school enrichment and education.

Vasques resides in Old Town Alexandria, Va., with her husband Fabrice Vasques and their daughter Alex.

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