Luke Jones, Secretary

Luke is a lineal descendant of the Chickahominy and Pamunkey Indians of Virginia and has worked to improve federal program implementation in the face of complex technical, cultural, legal, and administrative obstacles for more than thirty years.

Luke joined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1999 and has held several leadership positions throughout his public service career, including: Director, EPA Region 5 “Indian Environmental Office,” covering the 35 tribes in MN, WI, and MI; National Program Manager, EPA “Indian Environmental General Assistance Program,” funding more than 450 tribes annually; and Chair of the EPA “American Indian and Alaska Native Employment Program Advisory Council,” serving as a Special Emphasis Program Manager for more than 25 years. For Fiscal Year 2025, Mr. Jones is on an EPA-sponsored Interagency Personnel Act assignment as a Visiting Professor of Law with the University of North Dakota’s Tribal Environmental Law Project.

Luke also served as Director of the EPA Region 5 Indian Environmental Office (2006-2010) after holding a number of EPA tribal program positions in Washington, DC. Before joining EPA in 1999, Luke worked for the U.S. Department of Defense Native American Lands Environmental Mitigation Program (1997-1999), the National Tribal Environmental Council (1996-1997), and the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management tribal programs (1991-1995). Luke received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Rutgers University (1991), a Master of Public Administration degree from Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs (1996) and is a frequent speaker and presenter on topics relating to federal Indian policy and tribal environmental program administration.