Crystalyne Curley
Crystalyne Curley | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Curley in 2023 | |
| Speaker of the Navajo Nation Council | |
| Assumed office January 23, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Otto Tso |
| Member of the Navajo Nation Council | |
| Assumed office January 10, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Kee Allen Begay |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 26, 1985 |
| Citizenship | American Navajo Nation |
| Education | Arizona State University, Tempe (BA) University of New Mexico (MPA) |
Awards | Miss Navajo (2011) |
Crystalyne Curley (born December 26, 1985)[1][2] is an American politician serving as the 11th speaker of the Navajo Nation Council since 2023. She is the first woman to hold the position. Curley is currently one of two candidates in the 2026 Navajo Nation presidential election. Curley was Miss Navajo from 2011 to 2012.
Life
Curley is from Fish Point, Arizona.[3] She is Tsénjíkiní and born for Tó’aheedlíinii.[3] Her maternal grandfather is Kinyaa’áanii, and her paternal grandfather is Dził T’aadi Kinyaa’áanii.[3] Curley graduated with two bachelor's degrees from the Arizona State University.[3] She earned a master's in public administration from the University of New Mexico.[3]
Curley was Miss Navajo from 2011 to 2012.[4] She is a fluent speaker of Navajo.[4]
Political career
Curley ran for the Navajo Nation Council Delegate position in 2022. She is currently working in the Navajo Nation Speaker's Office.[4] She later served as the senior public information officer for Navajo president Jonathan Nez.[4]
On November 8, 2022, Curley was elected delegate after defeating incumbent Kee Allen Begay.[4] She is the first woman to represent the Tselani/Cottonwood, Nazlini, Blue Gap/Tachee, Low Mountain, and Many Farms communities on the Navajo Nation Council.[4] In January 2023, the council elected Curley as its speaker, making her the first woman to hold the position and the first fluent Navajo speaker in the role since Johnny Naize's resignation in 2014.[4]
During the tenure of Navajo president Buu Nygren, Curley was a frequent critic of his administration. In 2025, Curley introduced legislation to remove him and vice president Richelle Montoya from office on the grounds of financial impropriety and other misdeeds, which Nygren denied.
On April 24, 2026, Curley announced her candidacy for the 2026 Navajo Nation presidential election.[5] She was one of 16 candidates competing in the primary, along with Nygren and former Navajo vice presidents Frank Dayish and Myron Lizer.[6] Curley came in second in the primary behind attorney Justin Jones, advancing to the general election. If elected, Curley would be the first female Navajo president.[7]
References
- ↑ https://navajotimes.com/news/2011/0911/091211missn.php
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/navajonationcouncil/posts/happy-birthday-speaker-curley-the-staff-from-the-office-of-the-speaker-wishes-sp/1003321355164230/
- 1 2 3 4 5 Allen, Krista (2022-05-20). "Service is key: Former Miss Navajo Nation titleholders run for delegate seats". Navajo Times. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Becenti, Arlyssa D. (January 23, 2023). "After women made historic gains, Navajo Nation Council elects first female speaker". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
- ↑ Heinsius, Ryan (April 24, 2026). "Navajo Nation Council speaker announces run for tribal president". KNAU. Retrieved July 23, 2026.
- ↑ Holtje, Doreen (April 28, 2026). "'The Race Is On': 16 Candidates File for Navajo Nation Presidency". Navajo-Hopi Observer. Archived from the original on May 8, 2026. Retrieved July 23, 2026.
- ↑ Quintero, Donovan (July 22, 2026). "Jones, Curley projected to advance as Nygren falls short". Navajo Times. Retrieved July 23, 2026.
- 1985 births
- 21st-century American legislators
- 21st-century American women politicians
- 21st-century Native American politicians
- 21st-century Native American women
- Arizona State University alumni
- Living people
- Navajo women
- Speakers of the Navajo Nation Council
- University of New Mexico alumni
- Women in Arizona politics