Stanley M. Speaks

Stanley Speaks has spent his career involved in Indian affairs of every nature. He was born in 1933 and grew up to graduate from Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.

Speaks joined the Bureau of Indian Affairs soon afterwards and never stopped devoting his time to bettering the way of life for Native Americans. He has worked in a variety of management positions for Native Americans, including director of Indian education and deputy commissioner for the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Speaks is currently the regional director for the BIA's Northwest Regional office in Portland, Oregon, which oversees 15 agencies that serve 45 federally recognized tribes. Speaks was key in the progress and development of the Joint Tribal/Department of Interior task force for the reorganization of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.