For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
January 3, 2003

President Bush Announced Nomination of Ross Owen

President George W. Bush today announced his intention to nominate one individual to serve as a member of his administration:

The President intends to nominate Ross Owen Swimmer of Oklahoma, to be the Special Trustee for American Indians at the Department of the Interior. Mr. Swimmer is currently the Director of the Office of Indian Trust Transition at the Department of the Interior. He was previously the President of the Cherokee Group, and served three successive terms as the Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. Mr. Swimmer's previous service with the Department of the Interior also includes an appointment as the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, from 1985 until 1989. He is the recipient of the Distinguished Service Citation from the University of Oklahoma and the Outstanding American Leader Service Award from Rogers State College. Mr. Swimmer is a 1965 graduate of the University of Oklahoma, where he also went on to earn a law degree in 1967.

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