Selma Sierra Named Chief of Staff at BLM

Selma Sierra has been named Chief of Staff at the Bureau of Land Management, BLM Director Kathleen Clarke announced today. Sierra has been acting Chief of Staff since May 2004. She had been the agency’s Assistant Director for Communications since 2003.

“Selma brings a wealth of experience in government and public affairs to the BLM,” said Clarke. “Her knowledge of the West and in particular, the issues facing our agency are invaluable in guiding the work of managing the public lands.”

Sierra has held positions in government at the city, state and federal levels. She was Deputy Chief of Staff to former New Mexico Governor Garrey Carruthers from 1987 to 1988. She first came to the Department of Interior as Assistant for External Affairs to Secretary Manuel Lujan. She became Deputy Assistant Secretary for Human Resources Management at the Department in 1989 and served in that position until January 1993, when she became deputy press secretary for the House Ways and Means Committee.

From 1995 to 2001, Sierra was press secretary to New Mexico Congressman Joe Skeen. She was then appointed Assistant Director at the U.S. Department of Commerce and served in that capacity until 2003, when she returned to the Interior Department to direct the BLM communications office.

A native of La Union, New Mexico, Sierra received Bachelor of Arts degrees in journalism and government in 1979 from New Mexico State University.

The BLM manages more land – 261 million surface acres – than any other Federal agency. Most of this public land is located in 12 Western States, including Alaska. The Bureau, with a budget of about $1.8 billion, also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM’s multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, and cultural resources on the public lands.

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