James A. Crawford has been sworn in as the Assistant Secretary for Tribal Affairs at the U.S. Department of Transportation. Crawford, a member of the Forest County Potawatomi Community of Wisconsin, took the oath on Friday.
"I am going to deliver on President Trump’s and Secretary Duffy’s promises to work with the 574 federally recognized tribes across this great nation," Crawford said. He expressed his eagerness to enhance tribal sovereignty through the Department's Tribal Transportation Self-Governance Program and his pride in representing his tribe from Northern Wisconsin.
Crawford joined the USDOT in May 2025 as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Tribal Affairs and has significant experience in tribal governance. His roles within Forest County Potawatomi's tribal government included Vice-Chairman, Council Member, Secretary, and most recently, Tribal Chairman—a position he resigned from to assume his role at USDOT.
As Tribal Chairman, Crawford signed a compact and funding agreement with DOT for Forest County Potawatomi to join the USDOT Tribal Self-Governance program on August 19, 2024. He was recognized by Madison365 as one of Wisconsin’s most Influential Native American Leaders in 2023 and by BizTimes Media as one of Wisconsin's 275 Most Influential Business Leaders in 2024. Additionally, he was the first Chairman of the Board for Potawatomi Business Development Corporation, now known as Potawatomi Ventures.
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