PABLO — The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes announced on Monday E.T. Bud Moran will be its next chairman.

Moran was voted into the position during the Jan. 1 quarterly meeting of the Tribal Council, a CSKT press release said.

Every two years, the 10 elected council members meet and vote amongst themselves for the new council officers, the release said.

Moran was elected to council two years ago, where he was eventually made vice-chair.

Outgoing chairman James Steele Jr. will remain on council, whose term expires in 2012.

The vice-chairman will be Joe Durglo, with Steve Lozar remaining as secretary and Jim Malatare remaining as treasurer.

Moran is a former Bureau of Indian Affairs superintendent who spent the last years of his federal service based at the Salish-Kootenai Reservation.

“I’m looking forward to these new responsibilities and I’m honored my peers supported me as chair. I want to commend my predecessor for his hard work and dedication,” Moran said in the release.

Vice-chair Durglo was re-elected to his second term on council in December. Durglo is the current chair of the Intertribal Timber Council and vice-chair of the State Tribal Economic Development Commission. He’s worked in economic development issues for 15 years.

As chairman, Moran is the spokesman for the council and leader of one of the largest tribes in Montana.

“I’ve been blessed in my lifetime many times over. My experiences in life and work have prepared me for this position,” Moran said.

According to the release, in 1958, Moran joined the Marines where he served nine years, six months and was honored as a Vietnam veteran. After his discharge in 1967, he returned home to the Flathead Reservation. He began work at the first credit manager for the tribes until 1972. He joined the campaign for Montana Governor Thomas Judge and served as a Native American representative for the campaign and helped in communication with state tribes.

Bud began his BIA career on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation where he worked with their tribal government in reservation programs as a tribal government specialist. He then traveled to Western Nevada Agency to assist in different projects. In 1978, he went to California and served as a superintendent representative in a controversial debate involving the Klamath Yurok Tribe. Following his work in California, he served as BIA superintendent on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation, the Nez Perce Reservation in Lapwai, Idaho, Crow Agency, and Parker, Arizona.

In 1991 Bud returned to the Flathead reservation to work in the BIA office. In 2007, Moran retired from the BIA and that fall ran successfully to be the Pablo representative on Council. He was sworn in January 1, 2010. He will reside over his first regular Council meeting as Chair January 5.