Flanagan takes over at the Legislative Commission on Indian Services

By Danielle Harrison

Smoke Signals staff writer

SALEM – After more than 11 years working for the Oregon Department of Justice as a lead prosecutor of environmental crimes and cultural resources enforcement, Patrick Flanagan is ready to serve Tribes in a different role.

While looking through e-mail one day, Flanagan noticed one regarding an emergency meeting of the Legislative Commission on Indian Services to address the unexpected departure of the former director. He took a look at the job description and it immediately piqued his interest.

“My first impression was that it would be a dream job, but that I didn’t think I was qualified,” Flanagan says. “Ultimately, after a lengthy application and interview process, the commission felt otherwise.”

He takes over for Mitch Sparks, who resigned after less than a year on the job in 2020. Sparks succeeded longtime director Karen Quigley in the position.

Flanagan, 53, lives in Lake Oswego with his wife, Kristin, and a chocolate Labrador retriever named Kokanee. The couple has two adult children: Caitlin, 20, and Will, 18.

Although he is not a member of a federally recognized Tribe, Flanagan has years of experience in cultural resources protection and also worked in areas on the Navajo Reservation when he was a park ranger in Arizona.

“I have to think that my 11 plus years of work with the culture cluster, my time on the governor’s task force on Tribal cultural items, the relationships I have developed with the Tribes, and my experience testifying in front of various legislative committees provided sufficient confidence in the commission to give me this opportunity,” he says. “I remain humbled and enthusiastic.”

The Legislative Commission for Indian Services was formed 45 years ago and was the first of its kind in the country. It is permanent forum for consideration of Tribal-state government relations and consultation. In 2001, commission duties expanded after the state passed a state-Tribal government-to-government relations law, which required ongoing consultation with its nine federally recognized Tribes. The commission has been a key partner in furthering these efforts.

In addition to his experience heading up cultural protection for the Department of Justice, Flanagan spent five years as an assistant district attorney for Clackamas County, 19 years co-instructing an environmental crimes prosecution class at Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland and served as a park ranger at Zion, Grand Canyon and Grand Teton national parks.

“Working in environmental law and cultural resources preservation was a way to stay engaged in things that already interested me,” Flanagan says. “The way I got into the park service is that I had buddies who were in search and rescue. That is how I fell into that work and found it very satisfying because I could use my knowledge in a way to help others. ... I’ve had an interest in natural resources, Tribal and cultural issues since my time as an undergrad.”

He holds a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from Prescott College in Arizona and a juris doctorate from Lewis & Clark Law School. He also volunteers as legal counsel for the nonprofit group Health Bridges, an organization focused on improving people’s health in developing countries through sustainable ways.

Flanagan says although it was hard to leave his job at the Department of Justice, especially the cultural resources protection program he has led for several years, he also is excited about the opportunity this new position presents.

“It’s hard to leave because of spending the years building up those relationships,” Flanagan says. “When you leave it, you recognize that you have become the face of that program. You know it will be an impact. But it’s also been exciting because to me the job with LCIS is a fascinating challenge. It allows you to be proactive, not reactive. You’re not confined by the rules of litigation.”

A primary focus for his first year on the job is getting out to meet with Tribal leaders from all of Oregon’s nine Tribes, a goal that has been complicated by COVID-19.

“My priority is to find out what issues are of interest and concern to each of the Tribes,” Flanagan said. “Also, meeting with state agencies to see what they need and how we can facilitate a relationship.”

He recently met Grand Ronde Tribal Council Chairwoman Cheryle A. Kennedy remotely. She is the longest-serving commission member.

“It was a good meeting and it’s interesting to see the differences among the Tribes, and the different priorities that exist,” he says.

A long-term goal of Flanagan’s is the establishment of a shared resources center to assist state agencies that are understaffed and unable to complete timely cultural resources identification and protection for their programs and projects.

“These agencies are struggling to conduct the required consultation with Oregon’s nine federally recognized Tribes as well as the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office,” he says. “This concept proposes a ‘shared resources’ solution to remedy this gap within state government. It also could provide a foundation for a physical anthropologist, a position that has also been identified and discussed at length.”

Another long-term goal is a complete revamping of the commission’s website to include content that is user-friendly and will help the public have a greater understanding and familiarity with the state’s nine Tribes.

“I want to make it more appealing and informative to the general public,” Flanagan says.  

He anticipates his biggest challenge as director will be the breadth of the work.

“If you want to talk about cultural resources protection I can do that for hours,” he says. “But when it comes to health issues and education, those are areas outside of my area of expertise. The sheer breadth of the job is definitely the most challenging, but also the most enjoyable because I get an opportunity to learn every day. … I have a lot of work to do to get up to speed.

“I feel the commission has the opportunity to be so much more than a liaison between the Tribes and the Legislature. We can advocate and make sure Tribal interests are advanced, and also provide a service by being an information source to the public as a whole.”