Daniel Dyer
Bureau of Indian Affairs
Portland, OR
Email: daniel.dyer@bia.gov
Cell: 503-781-2961
Daniel Dyer is a citizen of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation and a member of the Fish Clan as well as of Choctaw descent. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, KS. His professional career began working for his Nation as the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation's Land Manager, responsible for managing all Tribal trust acres for agriculture, wildlife, and recreation. While managing range units Dyer began to understand and see the role of fire in the ecology of a tall grass prairie. This event is what transformed him from a broad natural resource manager to focused student of fire.
Dyer has a diverse employment history as he has worked for the National Park Service at Wind Cave National Park, Lassen Volcanic National Park, and Mesa Verde National Park. He has also worked for the Fish and Wildlife Service at Quivira National Refuge as well as Bureau of Land Managment, Alaska Fire Service. Dyer has served on a fire effects team, handcrew, engine crew, helitack crew, and hotshot crew. His field leadership skills were attained and honed through work as a Crewboss, Engine Module lead, Helicopter Manager, Burn Boss and Fire Suppression Specialist.
From 2020 through 2024 Dyer served as the Regional Fuels Specialist for the Northwest Region of the Bureau of Indian Affairs where he managed a program of work spanning three and a half states and 12 Tribal or BIA units. In addition to his time as Regional Fuels Specialist, Dyer was the Assistant Fire Managment Officer at Southern Pueblos Agency and the Fuels Specialist at Mescalero Agency and this has allowed him to gain experience in program management as well as a greater understanding of the fire organization and its underlying principals, policies, and method of organization.
When asked about the new job ahead of him, he replied, "I'm excited to bring more technical fire management training and techniques to Indian Country as well as bringing Indian Country's unique management perspective to the rest of the prescribed fire world."
In his free time, you can find Dyer playing pinball, hunting down the best Vietnamese food in town, watching soccer, planning his next trip or learning a new language. He has one adult daughter, Tara, whom he doesn’t get to see enough.