Indian Health Service engineer honored for federal leadership

Melissa de Vera, a member of the Chippewa Cree Tribe of the Rocky Boy’s Reservation and a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, received the 2025 Arthur S. Flemming Award for her work with the Indian Health Service, according to MPR News. De Vera serves as assistant director of operations for the agency’s Division of Sanitation Facilities Construction in Bemidji, Minnesota.

MPR News reported that de Vera was recognized for leadership that helped IHS deliver $3.5 billion in sanitation projects funded by the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. She led recruitment efforts through partnerships with the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education and the American Indian Science and Engineering Society to fill vacant engineering positions serving tribal communities.