Haury Program Honors Three Diné Leaders
On September 25, the Agnese Nelms Haury Program in Environment and Social Justice (Haury Program) awarded Nikki Tulley, Dr. Crystal Tulley-Cordova, and Dr. Karletta Chief with 2021 Haury Program Tribal Resilience Leadership Awards. In May 2020, the Haury Program launched the Tribal Resilience Initiative with three goals: to support the water sustainability goals of the Navajo Nation and Indian Country; to elevate the priorities of Indigenous communities and promote collaboration between Native Nations and institutions engaging in education, research, outreach, and other efforts focused on Indigenous issues; and to strengthen Native American and Indigenous student, faculty, and staff pathways at UArizona. A key partnership in this effort has been with the Navajo Nation to support the Water Access Coordination Group (WACG) in the Navajo Safe Water Project, itself a partnership between Indian Health Services, Navajo Nation Division of Community Development, and the Navajo Nation Department of Water Resources.
In recognition of the outstanding contributions to Tribal resilience exhibited by leaders within WACG, the Haury Program established the Tribal Resilience Leadership Award. The 2021 honorees, all Diné, are recognized for their efforts to forge partnerships that are rooted in respectful Tribal engagement to advance the WACG mission. Nikki Tulley is a PhD candidate in the UArizona Department of Environmental Science. Dr. Crystal Tulley-Cordova is the principal hydrologist at the Navajo Nation Department of Water Resources. In addition to receiving the Haury Program’s award, Dr. Tulley-Cordova was also named the 2021 Professional of the Year by the American Indian Science and Engineering Society in a separate award ceremony, also on September 25. Dr. Karletta Chief is an associate professor at the UArizona Department of Environmental Science, distinguished outreach professor, and extension specialist.
Image: Courtesy of the Agnese Nelms Haury Program in Environment and Social Justice