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Victoria Vasques
Victoria L. Vasques is an American businesswoman and former Assistant Deputy Secretary of the Office of Indian Education, U.S. Department of Education from 2001-2005.

Career
Since 2005, Vasques has been Owner, President and CEO of Tribal Tech, LLC a Native American, woman‐owned, SBA certified 8(a) and 8(m) small business based in Alexandria, VA.1 The company provides consulting, management and technical services to Native American tribes, federal agencies, and private businesses. They specialize in training and technical assistance, grants management, Indian affairs, and communications, outreach and event planning.2 As Assistant Deputy Secretary of the Office of Indian Education, U.S. Department of Education she was the principal point of contact within the federal government for Indian education across the nation.3

For over 30 years, Vasques has been advocating for American Indians, leading education reform, supporting health and wellness programs, and advancing energy initiatives. Her 25 years of public service include management oversight of over $100 million in education grants annually, development and implementation of Presidential Executive Orders, and oversight of energy programs for American Indian Tribal coordination across all field operational units.

Early Career
Vasques’ previous government service also included serving at the U.S. Department of Education in various capacities, such as the Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Tribal Colleges and Universities, in the Office of Intergovernmental and Interagency Affairs; the Office of Civil Rights; as well as the Office of Indian Education.

She also served as the Director of Indian Affairs, Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs at the U.S. Department of Energy and as the Director of Scheduling, Logistics and Advance for the Secretary of Energy, James D. Watkins. She worked on the American Bicentennial Presidential Inaugural; the President’s Commission on the HIV Epidemic; the Commission on Executive, Legislative and Judicial Salaries; White House Conference on a Drug Free America; and the White House Conference on Small Business.

Vasques also served at the U.S. Department of Education in the Office of Indian Education and the Office of Civil Rights, as well as on the President’s Commission on Indian Reservation Economies.

Her experience with Indian issues outside the federal government includes serving as a technical assistant specialist at the National Congress of American Indians and as tribal liaison at The Committee for the 50th Presidential Inaugural. She also taught school in the Capistrano Unified School District and served as an Indian Education Project Director in the Whittier Union High School District in California.

Education and family life
Vasques grew up in southern California. She received her Bachelor of Science degree from California State University, Fullerton and her teaching credentials from the University of California, Irvine. She is part Diegueno of the San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians, Valley Center, California. Vasques lives in Alexandria, Virginia, is married and has one daughter.

Activities and awards
Since 2016, Vasques has served on the Gallup-Strada Education Network Advisory Committee.

Since 2011, Vasques has served on the Philanthropic Board at Cal State University, Fullerton. This includes the CSUF Philanthropic Board of Governors, the CSUF DC Scholars Advisory Board, and the CSUF Advocacy Committee.4,5

She continues to serve on various boards for national and local non-profit organizations dedicated to supporting and promoting education, health and wellness.

Vasques has received several awards, including the Small Business Administration Businessperson of the Year, Northern Virginia Region;6 Native Woman Business Owner of the Year from the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development (NCAIED),7 Tribal Business Journal Honor Roll,8 Enterprising Woman of the Year from Enterprising Women magazine,9 and the Emerging Star Award from the U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce.10 Vasques and her company, Tribal Tech, LLC have been included in Inc. magazine’s Inc. 5000 list for the past three consecutive years. 11,12,13,14,15 They have also been included in the Women Presidents’ Organization and American Express list of the 50 Fastest Growing Women-Led Companies for the past two years. 16,17,18,19

Also, Vasques is a former American Indian Woman of the Year.

Publications
Co-wrote, U.S. Department of Energy American Indian & Alaska Native Tribal Government Policy Booklet, 2000 20

Contributor, Department of Energy Working with Tribal Nations Booklet, 2000 21