USDOT assistant secretary for tribal affairs sworn into office

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has a new assistant secretary for tribal affairs. James A. Crawford, a citizen of the Forest County Potawatomi Community of Wisconsin, was sworn into office July 11.  

“I am going to deliver on President [Donald] Trump’s and Secretary [Sean] Duffy’s promises to work with the 574 federally recognized tribes across this great nation,” Crawford said. “I look forward to the opportunity to strengthen their sovereignty with the department’s Tribal Transportation Self-Governance Program, and I’m proud to represent my tribe of the Forest County Potawatomi Community in Northern Wisconsin.” 

Crawford, who joined USDOT in May 2025 as deputy assistant secretary for tribal affairs, has extensive experience in tribal affairs. He served in multiple capacities within Forest County Potawatomi’s tribal government, including vice chairman, council member, secretary and most recently, resigning his tribal chairman position to take on the role of USDOT deputy assistant secretary.  

During his time as tribal chairman for Forest County Potawatomi, the department says Crawford signed off on the compact and funding agreement with USDOT for Forest County Potawatomi to join the USDOT Tribal Self-Governance program on Aug. 19, 2024.  

Crawford was awarded the Madison365 Wisconsin’s most Influential Native American Leaders 2023 and the BizTimes Media Wisconsin 275 Most Influential Business Leaders in 2024. He was the initial chairman of the board of directors for the Potawatomi Business Development Corporation, which is now Potawatomi Ventures.