Tony L. Dearman, Director
Tony.Dearman@bie.edu
Tony Dearman, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, serves as the Director. He has served in this position since November 2016. Dearman brings more than two decades of experience as a teacher, coach, and administrator in BIE operated and tribally controlled schools. He began his career in education in 1993 at Sequoyah High School as a science teacher and coach. Sequoyah is a boarding school operated by the Cherokee Nation located in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. He served as the principal at Sequoyah High School from 2004-2005. In January of 2006, Dearman accepted the leadership role of Superintendent at Riverside Indian School. Riverside is an off-reservation boarding school operated by the Bureau of Indian Education. It serves grades 4-12 and is located in Anadarko, Oklahoma.
From 2008-2009 he was the acting Education Line Officer for the Seattle, Washington office. While in this position, Dearman worked with nine tribally controlled schools and one BIE operated off-reservation boarding school. From 2009-2010 he served as the Education Line Officer for the BIE New Mexico South office. While serving the New Mexico South office, he worked with four tribally controlled and five BIE operated schools.
In 2010, Dearman returned to Riverside Indian School as the Superintendent. During Dearman’s tenure at Riverside, he participated in the development and planning of a new academic high school building and two residential dormitories. He remained in this position until November of 2015 when he was selected as the Associate Deputy Director of BIE Operated Schools. While serving in this position, he assisted in the implementation of the BIE reorganization and reform to improve services to students. As Associate Deputy Director, he oversaw 17 schools, four off-reservation boarding schools, and one peripheral dormitory spanning across eight states.
Dearman earned an Associate of Arts degree from Bacone College in Muskogee, Oklahoma. He received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education and a Master’s degree in School Administration from Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. His duty location and office are located in Washington, DC.
Sharon Pinto, Deputy Bureau Director for School Operations
Sharon.Pinto@bie.edu
Sharon Pinto serves as the Deputy Bureau Director for BIE School Operations (as of August 2018). She manages the BIE Budget, acquisitions, grants management, safety management, environmental and facilities-related issues of direct concern to BIE schools. Pinto is the resource for school administrators to resolve administrative operations questions, fast track priorities, implement best practices and meet audit requirements.
Previously, she served as the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Navajo Regional Director, holding that position since October 2011. Pinto provided direction and oversight for transportation, realty, water resources, forestry, natural resources, oil and gas, irrigation, probate, environmental, fire management and administrative operations. Prior to becoming the regional director, Pinto had been serving as the deputy regional director for the Navajo Region since October 2007, where she was responsible for providing oversight and management of BIA regional trust resource management and tribal services programs.
Pinto began her federal career in October 2001 as an Indian Self-determination Officer with the BIA’s Southwest Regional Office in Albuquerque, NM. As an expert in Public Law 93-638, Pinto provided training to BIA and tribal employees, worked to develop and implement the national contract support cost policy and handled various ‘638 contracts with Tribes. Before her federal career, Pinto served in several capacities within the Navajo Nation government with the Office of the Prosecutor, the Navajo Housing Authority, and the Office of Navajo Women and Children. She also served within the New Mexico State government under the District Attorney’s office, working with victims of crime.
Pinto is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in Sociology from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. Her duty location and office are located in Albuquerque, NM.
Dr. Tamarah Pfeiffer, Chief Academic Officer
Tamarah.Pfeiffer@bie.edu
Dr. Tamarah Pfeiffer (Dinế) serves as the BIE Chief Academic Officer. Her career as an educator encompasses more than 43 years as a teacher and administrator in public, grant and contract schools.
Dr. Pfeiffer holds a Bachelors of Arts in Education from the University of New Mexico (1990) with an emphasis teaching English as a Foreign Language, a Masters of Arts in English from the Breadloaf School of English (1999), and a Doctorate of Education with a specialization in Educational Administration and American Indians from the Pennsylvania State University
(2006).
In her role as Chief Academic Officer, Pfeiffer recognizes the importance of ensuring that school leadership have the resources, supports and processes needed to support learning for all students.
Her duty location and office are located in Albuquerque, NM.
Margo DeLaune (Acting) Associate Deputy Director - Division of Performance & Accountability
Margo.Delaune@bie.edu
The Associate Deputy Director for the Division of Performance and Accountability (DPA) supports the BIE and its schools by providing oversight of BIE funds from the U.S. Department of Education, as well as supporting fiscal management and the provision of special education services.
Hankie P. Ortiz, Associate Deputy Director - Bureau Operated Schools
Hankie.Ortiz@bie.edu
Hankie Ortiz serves as the Associate Deputy Director - Bureau Operated Schools (BOS). She is an enrolled member of the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma and is also Caddo and Comanche from Oklahoma. In her current role, she is responsible for all schools operated by the BIE outside of the Navajo Nation, including four off-reservation boarding schools, two on-reservation boarding schools, a dormitory, and sixteen-day schools. Ortiz works with the schools through four Education Resource Centers (ERCs): Albuquerque ERC, Belcourt ERC, Phoenix ERC, and Pine Ridge ERC.
Prior to her current position, Ortiz served for six years as the Deputy Bureau Director, Indian Services for the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), reporting directly to the BIA Director. In that position, she was responsible for all headquarters activities associated with support for tribal people and tribal governments, including five BIA Divisions: Transportation, Human Services, Self-Determination, Tribal Government Services, and Workforce Development. Ortiz holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Montana, Alexander Blewett III School of Law in Missoula (1995) and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of Oklahoma in Norman (1991). Her first Senior Executive position was Director, Office of Tribal Self-Governance, Indian Health Service, Rockville, MD where she served for six years. Prior to that, she worked as an attorney in the Office of the General Counsel in the Department of Health and Human Services for 10 years, in Region IX San Francisco and in the headquarters office in Rockville, MD, advising the Indian Health Service.
Her duty location and office are located in Albuquerque, NM.
Connie Albert (Acting) Associate Deputy Director - Tribally Controlled Schools
Connie.Albert@bie.edu
The Associate Deputy Director for Tribally Controlled Schools supports BIE-funded schools, not directly operated by the BIE, that are tribally controlled and works with schools through Education Resource Centers that serve 98 tribally controlled schools across 23 states.
Charles Sherman (Acting) Associate Deputy Director - Navajo Schools
Charles.Sherman@bie.edu
The Associate Deputy Director - Navajo Schools supports both BIE-operated and tribally controlled schools serving the Navajo Nation as well as manages Education Resource Centers that serve the Navajo Nation.
Dr. Ronald Graham, President Haskell Indian Nations University
Ronald.Graham@bie.edu
Dr. Graham was recently hired as the President for Haskell Indian Nations University. His tribal affiliation is E. Shawnee out of Oklahoma. He retired from California as a Division Dean with more than 25 years in education and more than 10 years in educational management. His doctorate is in Organization and Leadership with a minor in International Multicultural Education from the University of San Francisco. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Criminology from the California State University system. He also has an extensive background in law enforcement and counterterrorism.
Dr. Graham worked on Nevada State Senator Nolan’s Special Task force years ago in counterterrorism and helped develop current Active Shooter policies for emergency response for K-12 through the university systems. He also served in Iraq and Afghanistan as a Law Enforcement Professional in Biometric/Intelligence working classified investigations on al Qaeda and Taliban operatives. He has a military Intelligence background dating back to Vietnam when he served in the 82nd Airborne Division. He is an avid pilot and enjoys traveling with his wife Kelly in their Beech Baron.
Haskell Indian Nations University is located in Lawrence, KS.
Dr. Sherry Allison, President Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute
Sherry.Allison@bie.edu
A member of the Dine’ (Navajo) Nation, Dr. Allison is originally from Tse’ Daa’ Kaan, a small farming community east of Shiprock, NM. Her clans include Oozéí Táchii’nii
(Hopi Red Running into the Water), born for Naakai Dine’é (Mexican clan), her maternal grand fathers are Mą’ii Deeshgiizhinii (Coyote Pass People) and her parental grand fathers are Tsi’naajinii (Blackwood Streak People).
As a 19-year federal public servant, Dr. Allison has served as President of Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute (SIPI) for the past 11 years. Prior to serving as SIPI’s President, Dr. Allison worked with the BIE in various capacities. Recognized with numerous honors, she is most proud being honored as the:
- Recipient of the “Patricia Roberts Harris” Academic Fellowship from the US Department of Education to complete her Doctorate Degree;
- 2014 Honoree of the Year by the American Indian College Fund for her work in the advancement of the Tribal College movement; and,
- 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Indian Education Association, for her lifetime dedication to Indian education.
Dr. Allison holds a Doctor of Education from Northern Arizona University, Master of Arts in Special Education and a Bachelor of Social Work. She has served on numerous national and state boards, task forces and committees including serving as the 1999-2000 President of the National Indian Education Association. Dr. Allison has more than 30 years of professional experience in Indian education, including post-secondary experience at the University of New Mexico - Health Sciences Center and the University of Arizona School of Medicine, Native American Research and Training Center.
SIPI is located in Albuquerque, NM where Dr. Allison makes her home with her husband, Alley David.
Clint J. Bowers, Chief of Staff
Clint.Bowers@bie.edu
Clint J. Bowers, a Cherokee Nation citizen from Oklahoma, serves as Chief of Staff. Previously, he supported the BIE Director in Tribal and education policy and organizational strategic planning. Before joining the BIE, he directed Tribal and education issues on Capitol Hill where he led the development and passage of P.L. 114-244, To establish the Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children, and P.L. 115-404, the Johnson-O'Malley Supplemental Indian Education Program Modernization Act.
Prior to working in the U.S. Senate, he served as Legislative Director for the National Indian Education Association – the country’s largest Native education organization, which represents American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians. Clint also served as a Legislative Associate in the Cherokee Nation’s Washington, D.C. Office after working a year in Iraq and Djibouti in education centers located on U.S. military sites abroad. Bowers earned a Master of Arts in Environmental History regarding Tribal sovereignty and water rights from the University of Oklahoma and a Bachelor of Arts in History from Oklahoma State University.
His duty location and office are located in Washington, DC.
Juanita Mendoza, Special Assistant to the Director
Juanita.Mendoza@bie.edu
Juanita Mendoza has worked at the BIE for more than 11 years. She currently serves as the Special Assistant to the Director and provides program and policy coordination and oversight of special projects on behalf of the Director.
Prior to working at the BIE, Mendoza served as an advocate for tribal clients on Indian education legislative and policy matters. She has extensive experience supporting tribes and tribal organizations through her work with federal agencies in the Washington, DC area, including the Indian Health Services and the National Indian Gaming Commission.
Juanita Mendoza is an enrolled member of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe of Arizona. Mendoza attended the University of Maryland at College Park where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Anthropology. She earned her Masters of Arts in Business Management from the University of Maryland, University College. During her time as an undergraduate she served as the President and Vice President of the University of Maryland’s Native American Student Union.
Mendoza lives in Maryland with her two sons. Her duty location and office are located in Washington, DC.
Jackie Shamblin, Human Resource Officer
Jackie.Shamblin@bie.edu
Jackie Shamblin has served as the BIE Human Resources Officer (HRO) at the BIE since 2018. He was born and raised in Oklahoma and brings more than 30 years of expertise in human resources and labor relations. Shamblin previously worked for the U.S. Department of Navy
(Atlantic) as their Command Human Resources Director; Agency Employee and Labor Relations Officer for the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco GA; and Senior Employee Relations Specialist and Director of Human Resources Operations for the Food Safety Inspection Service in Minneapolis, MN. In the Director role, he had oversight of staffing, recruitment, benefits, payroll and the Delegated Examining units.
Prior, Shamblin was the HRO for the Veterans Administration Medical Center located in Augusta, GA for three years where he managed staffing and recruitment, employee/labor relations, payroll, processing and records, Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP), benefits, and position management. He also spent time overseas in South Korea for the Department of the Army as an Employee and Labor Relations Specialist. Shamblin served as a Supervisory Employee and Labor Relations Officer and a Staff Development Training Specialist with Indian Health Services.
Shamblin is a military veteran and a former Federal Law Enforcement Officer. His duty location and office are located in Albuquerque, NM.
Travis Clark, Chief Performance Officer
Travis.Clark@bie.edu
Travis Clark (Tzi-Zho-Ki-He-Kah) is an enrolled citizen of the Osage Nation and Cherokee Nation and originally hails from Oklahoma. Mr. Clark came to the BIE in 2016 and currently serves as the Chief Performance Officer. In this capacity, Mr. Clark leads a diverse and highly motivated team responsible for ensuring that the BIE achieves its strategic goals through data-informed decision making.
Mr. Clark graduated magna cum laude from Rogers State University in 2011 and received his law degree from the University of St. Thomas in 2014. Prior to his service at the BIE, Mr. Clark served as an associate attorney representing numerous tribal governments, tribal K-12 schools, and two tribal colleges as general counsel. Additionally, Mr. Clark served as a law clerk at the Native American Rights Fund and the Office of the Solicitor's Division of Indian Affairs. Prior to his BIE and legal career, Mr. Clark served as a paramedic in the Cherokee Nation.
His duty location and office are located in Washington, DC.
Klarissa Jensen (Acting) Communications Specialist
Klarissa.Jensen@bie.edu
The Communications Specialist supports BIE Director's office, three regional Associate Deputy Director’s offices and Education Resource Centers. Works as a liaison with the Indian Affairs Public Affairs Office, media, the public, and other Federal and state agencies to provide information on BIE's programs and activities.
Kylie Morden, Supervisory Administrative Officer
Kylie.Morden@bie.edu
Kylie Morden serves as the Administrative Officer supporting the Director and Central Office staff. She manages scheduling for the Director and Chief of Staff.
Ms. Morden graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree from Siena Heights University located in Adrian, MI. Prior to joining the BIE, she worked in state government for 16 years as a supervisor and staff trainer with the central focus on driving change to make the work environment and organizational culture the top priority. She strives for employee engagement and inclusion, professional and personal development opportunities for herself and staff, and serving others to the best of her abilities. She is enthusiastic about BIE's vision and mission in excellence, focus, integrity, respect, and providing the best possible service to its students and schools.
Her duty location and office are located in Washington, DC.