The new director of the Great Plains regional office of the Bureau of Indian Affairs says self-determination, economic development and long-range planning are his top goals.

Bill Benjamin, a member of the Blackfeet Nation, started his job in late May. A 27-year veteran of the BIA, he says the agency is underfunded and doesn't have the same resources as other federal agencies.

Benjamin said he wants to see tribes encourage entrepreneurship. "It's got to be in your head, that desire to do it," he tells The Aberdeen American News.

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New duties greet leader of regional BIA office (The Aberdeen American News 8/6)

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