David W. Anderson

For other people named David Anderson, see David Anderson (disambiguation).

David W. "Famous Dave" Anderson, best known as the founder of the Famous Dave's restaurant chain, was the former Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs in the Department of the Interior, with jurisdiction over the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Office of Indian Education Programs (now the Bureau of Indian Education). Anderson is a Choctaw and Ojibwe Indian, and lives in Edina, Minnesota. He was born in Chicago, Illinois, and grew up there as well as on reservations in Wisconsin. Famous Dave Anderson now travels the country speaking and is the author of several award-winning books.

Department of Indian Affairs

Since he first took over as head of the department in February 2004, Anderson has become involved in controversy because of his previous business partnership with Lyle Berman. Berman is a gambling entrepreneur who had Anderson sign on as an investor when his company, now known as Lakes Entertainment, was started. Some people view this as a conflict of interest, although Berman has stated that Anderson has not been involved with the company for nearly a decade.

Still, the connection between Anderson and gambling has been viewed as a major conflict for Anderson. He stated that he would recuse himself from any decisions relating to Berman. A few months later, he stated that he would let others handle all decisions related to gambling. This drew fire from leaders in the Congress, as oversight of casino gambling on Native American reservations takes up much of the resources of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Anderson has stated that allows him to focus on other ways to improve the lives of Native Americans living on reservations in the U.S., a view that some sympathize with because many believe^{[weasel words]} that, overall, Indian casino gambling has not helped those populations.

The LifeSkills Center for Leadership

In 2001, Anderson and his family founded The LifeSkills Center for Leadership a 501(c)3 which provided leadership experiences to at-risk and underprivileged Native youth.

Personal life

Dave Anderson lives in Edina, MN with his wife Kathy. He has two children, James (married to Colleen) and Tim, both residing in Minneapolis. His family still owns and enjoys property in Hayward, WI, beside the LCO Reservation.^{[citation needed]}

References

• Kevin Diaz (June 14, 2004). Ties to gambling haunting Anderson. Star Tribune.

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Name	Anderson, David W.
Alternative names	Famous Dave
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