Richelle Montoya | |
---|---|
11th Vice President of the Navajo Nation | |
Assumed office January 10, 2023 | |
President | Buu Nygren |
Preceded by | Myron Lizer |
Personal details | |
Spouse | Olsen Chee (sep. 2023) [1] |
Richelle Montoya is an American politician who is the 11th vice president of the Navajo Nation. [2] She is the first woman elected to the executive office of Navajo Nation. [2]
Montoya is from Torreon,Sandoval County,New Mexico and is Hashtł'ishnii (Mud clan) and born for Ta'neeszahnii (Tangle clan). [3] Her maternal grandfather is Kinłichii'nii (Red House clan),and her paternal grandfather is Táchii'nii (Red Running into Water clan). [4]
She served as the president of the Torreon/Star Lake Chapter and is a member of the Na’Neelzhiin Ji Olta’Inc. board. [5] In August 2022,Montoya was selected as the running mate of Buu Nygren during the 2022 Navajo Nation presidential election. [6]
Montoya is an advocate for the usage of the Navajo language. [4]
She was married to U.S. Army veteran Olsen Chee. [5] The pair separated in August 2023. [1]
Annie Dodge Wauneka was an influential member of the Navajo Nation as member of the Navajo Nation Council. As a member and three term head of the council's Health and Welfare Committee,she worked to improve the health and education of the Navajo. Wauneka is widely known for her countless efforts to improve health on the Navajo Nation,focusing mostly on the eradication of tuberculosis within her nation. She also authored a dictionary,in which translated English medical terms into the Navajo language. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1963 by Lyndon B. Johnson as well as the Indian Council Fire Achievement Award and the Navajo Medal of Honor. She also received an honorary doctorate in Humanities from the University of New Mexico. In 2000,Wauneka was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.
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