Navajo Nation, Arizona, New Mexico & Utah

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Leadership

Buu Nygren, President
Richelle Montoya, Vice President
Navajo Nation Council

(Updated February 2024)

Contact Information

Address: PO Box 9000 Window Rock, AZ 86515

Phone: 928-871-6000 (Navajo Nation Communications & Utilities)

Department of Health Executive Director: Kim Russell kim.russell@navajo-nsn.gov

Tribal Historic Preservation Officer, Heritage and Historic Preservation Department Manager: Richard Begay r.begay@navajo-nsn.gov

Website

GOVERNANCE: In 1923, the Navajo Nation tribal government was established. The Navajo Nation consists of 110 Chapters, divided into 5 agencies. Each chapter has its own elected President, Vice President, and Secretary/Treasurer. 


The Navajo Nation Legislative Council (currently the 25th Council) is run by a President and Vice President, with 24 delegates representing the 110 Chapters. In addition to numerous special sessions throughout the year, the Legislative Council meets quarterly for general sessions in the summer, fall, winter, and spring. The Council elects a Speaker to serve a two-year term. The Navajo Nation is in Congressional District 1; Legislative District 7.    


RESEARCH PROTOCOL: The Navajo Nation has established a protocol for research and the protection of human subjects. See the following documents:

To watch a video on Navajo Nation Research Protocols, see the presentation by Ronald Maldonado, Historic Preservation Department. For more information on human research, visit the Navajo Nation Human Research Review Board.


COMMUNITY PROFILE: The Navajo or Dine' (meaning "The People" in the Navajo language) govern the largest reservation in the United States, covering more than 27,000 square miles and extending from Arizona into Utah and New Mexico. 

The Navajo Nation operates four casinos: Fire Rock in Churchrock, NM; Flowing Wells in Shiprock, NM; Northern Edge located between Shiprock and Farmington, NM; and Twin Arrows Casino and Resort near Flagstaff, Arizona. The Nation operates tourist enterprises and trading posts around their many parks and lakes (for example Antelope Pointe Marina, Four Corners Tribal Park, Wheatfields Lake, and Chaco Canyon National Historical Park, among others).

According to the U.S. Census Bureau 2017-2021 American Community Survey, the population on Navajo Nation Reservation and Off-Reservation Trust Land (AZ-NM-UT) is 169,688. The following document provides a Census snapshot of the Navajo Nation with comparisons to the state of Arizona and the United States as a whole.

 

Note: When interpreting data for small populations or rural areas, it is important to note the margin of error, which is provided where possible. The margin of error can be interpreted as providing a 90 percent probability that the true value lies within the estimate plus and minus the margin of error.

First Things First is Arizona's early childhood agency, providing health screening and a variety of services across the state. Included here are their reports for the Navajo region, which includes the Arizona portion of the Navajo Nation reservation: