Appointment of Nine Members of the Presidential Commission on Indian Reservation Economies, and Designation of Cochairmen

The President today announced his intention to appoint the following individuals to be members of the Presidential Commission on Indian Reservation Economies. These are new positions:

Robert Robertson, of McLean, Va., is vice president of Occidental International Corp., in Washington, D.C. In 1969-1974 he was Executive Director of the National Council on Indian Opportunity in the Office of the Vice President. He is married and has six children. He was born March 5, 1929, in Bayonne, N.J.

Ross O. Swimmer, of Tahlequah, Okla., has been Chief of the Cherokee Nation (Oklahoma) since 1975. He served as general counsel to the Cherokee Nation in 1972-1975. He is married and has two children. He was born October 26, 1943, in Oklahoma City, Okla.

Daniel Alex, of Anchorage, Alaska, is president of Ekultna, Inc. He is president of the Alaska Native Land Managers Association and a member of the Citizens Advisory Commission on Federal Management Areas in Alaska. He has one child. Mr. Alex was born March 9, 1941, in Ekluna, Alaska.

Ted Bryant, of Greenwood Village, Colo., is director of the Native American programs in Denver, Colo. He is also president of the National American Indian Republican Federation. He was assistant to the Director, Office of Indian Programs, Department of Housing and Urban Development, in 1977. He is married and has four children. He was born April 21, 1929, in Hortschorne, Okla.

Manuel H. Johnson, Jr., of Fairfax, Va., is Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy at the Department of Treasury. Previously he was associate professor of economics in the graduate school of George Mason University. He is married and has two children. He was born February 10, 1949, in Troy, Ala.

David J. Matheson, of Plummer, Idaho, is chairman, tribal government, for the Couer d'Alene Tribe. Previously he was director, Division of Planning and Natural Resources (1981) and economic development planner (1980) for the Couer d'Alene Tribe in Plummer. He is married and has three children. He was born November 5, 1951, in Plummer, Idaho.

Neal A. McCaleb, of Edmond, Okla., is president and chief executive officer of McCaleb Associates and has advised numerous tribes on design and construction of public works projects and development of real estate resources. He served on the Oklahoma Indian Affairs Commission (1968-1970) and the National Council on Indian Opportunity in 1972. He is married and has four children. He was born June 30, 1935, in Oklahoma City, Okla.

B. Z. Kastler, of Salt Lake City, Utah, is chairman of the board of Mountain Fuel Supply Co. He is a member of the Salt Lake Area Chamber of Commerce and served as president in 1977-1978. He is a director of the Mountain States Legal Foundation. He is married and has two daughters. He was born October 30, 1920, in Billings, Mont.

Walter B. McKay, of Paradise Valley, Ariz., is president and chairman of Agricultural Chemical Services, Inc. He also serves as secretary-treasurer of International Chemical Traders and as a general partner in the Picacho Farming Co. He is married and has two children. He was born October 21, 1944, in Harlingen, Tex.

The President intends to designate Robert Robertson and Ross O. Swimmer as Cochairmen.