Buu Nygren | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 10th President of the Navajo Nation | |
| Assumed office January 10, 2023 | |
| Vice President | Richelle Montoya |
| Preceded by | Jonathan Nez |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 25,1986 Blanding,Utah,U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Jasmine Blackwater |
| Education | Arizona State University (BS,MBA) University of Southern California (EdD) |
Buu Van Nygren (born December 25,1986) is a Navajo politician currently serving as the 10th President of the Navajo Nation.
Nygren was born on December 25,1986,in Blanding,Utah. His mother is Navajo and his father is of Vietnamese descent. [1] His mother gave birth to him at 15 and he never knew his father. When giving him a last name his mother misspelled the Vietnamese last name Nguyen as Nygren.
Nygren is Táchiiʼnii (Red Running into Water clan). As his father is not Navajo,he has no paternal clan and is therefore said to be born for Vietnamese when his clans are named. [2] He attended Red Mesa High School. [3]
Nygren was the running mate of Joe Shirley Jr. in the 2018 Navajo Nation presidential election,losing to Jonathan Nez and Myron Lizer. [4] [5] In the 2022 election,Nygren and running mate Richelle Montoya received 34,890 votes,defeating the Nez-Abeyta campaign who received 31,339 votes. [6] [7] He was sworn in on January 10,2023. [8] At 35 years of age,Nygren is the youngest person to have been elected President of the Navajo Nation.
Nygren received international media attention when he protested human remains being sent to the Moon as part of Peregrine Mission One. Nygren claimed that the moon is the "heritage" of the Navajo and other Indian nations and that sending human remains would desecrate Indian spiritual property. Nygren also stated that NASA had coordinated with the Navajo on the 1998 Lunar Prospector mission,however,NASA has no jurisdiction over Peregrine as it is both launched and operated by private companies. [9]
In August 2024,a petition was launched to recall Nygren from office. The recall organizers accused Nygren of reneging and inaction on his campaign promises,misusing tribal funds,and creating a culture of workplace harassment. [10]
On April 16,2024,Nygren was accused by Navajo Nation Vice President Richelle Montoya,his 2022 running mate,of sexually harassing her during a meeting in August 2023. The President's office has previously been accused of fostering a culture of sexual abuse and violence towards women staffers. [11] This followed a separate accusation a month earlier in which a former male staffer accused Montoya of sexual harassment in January 2023. [12]
Nygren has denied the allegations and accused the Navajo Times of discrediting his administration. [13] In May 2024,three Navajo Nation Chapters drafted a resolution calling to place Nygren and several assistants on administrative leave. On June 14,2024,Nygren issued a press release alleging the drafters of political motives. [14]
The accusation is currently being investigated by the Navajo Nation Attorney General's office. [15]
Nygren has worked in construction management. He is married to former Arizona state representative Jasmine Blackwater-Nygren. [6]
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Allen Dale June was an American veteran of World War II. June was one of the 29 original Navajo code talkers who served in the United States Marine Corps during the war.
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Jonathan Nez is a Navajo politician who served as the 9th President of the Navajo Nation from 2019 to 2023. He previously served as Vice President and as a Navajo Nation Council delegate.
On March 17,2020,the COVID-19 pandemic was reported to have reached the Navajo Nation. The virus then spread rapidly through the Navajo Nation to the point that the Navajo,in 2020,had a higher per capita rate of infection than any state of the United States. The population according to the 2010 United States census was 173,667. As of September 13,2022,the number of confirmed cases was 31,571 with 1,893 deaths.
Myron Lizer is an American politician and businessman and served as the 10th vice president of the Navajo Nation under President Jonathan Nez.
Jasmine Blackwater–Nygren is an American politician who has served as the First Lady of Navajo Nation since 2023. She also served as a member of the Arizona House of Representatives from the 7th legislative district from 2021 to 2023,when she was the youngest lawmaker in Arizona.
The 2022 Navajo Nation presidential election took place on Tuesday,November 8,2022,to elect the president and vice president of the Navajo Nation. The primary election was held on August 2. Incumbent president Jonathan Nez ran for reelection with attorney Chad Abeyta as his running mate. Incumbent Vice President Myron Lizer did not seek re-election,instead running for U.S. House in Arizona. Nez and Abeyta advanced to the general election,as did the challenging ticket of construction manager Buu Nygren and Torreon/Star Lake Chapter President Richelle Montoya. Nygren and Montoya won the general election by a 6-point margin,and Montoya became the Navajo Nation's first female vice president.
Richelle Montoya is an American politician who is the 11th vice president of the Navajo Nation. She is the first woman elected to the executive office of Navajo Nation.
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