David W. Anderson is resigning as head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs after one year on the job, saying he can do more to help Indians by working in the private sector.
Anderson, assistant secretary of the interior for Indian affairs, earlier removed himself from decisions about which tribes receive federal recognition -- a designation that would allow them to run casinos, among other things. He also declined to be involved in gambling issues to avoid the appearance of any conflict of interest, given his past work in the industry.
 
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"I have concluded that I can have the greatest impact to improve the future of Indian country not by managing the day-to-day operations of BIA programs, but by focusing my time on developing private sector economic opportunities for Indian entrepreneurs," he wrote in a Jan. 27 letter to Interior Secretary Gale A. Norton, released yesterday.
The resignation is effective Feb. 12.
Anderson was unavailable to comment, BIA spokeswoman Nedra Darling said.
Last month, he told the Associated Press he planned to stay through a second Bush administration.
Anderson founded Grand Casinos Inc., the former casino management company for the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, in Minnesota, before leaving to launch the Famous Dave's chain of barbecue restaurants.
