Native American Advancement & Tribal Engagement

Congratulations to the newly sworn-in 2026–2028 Cocopah Tribal Council!

Our office was honored to attend the inauguration ceremony and celebrate this important occasion alongside the Cocopah Indian Tribe. We extend our congratulations to Chairwoman Sherry Cordova, Vice-Chairman Neil White, Councilwoman Jennifer Townsend, Councilwoman Florence M. Fitch, and Councilwoman Wynnie Ortega as they begin their new terms of service.

We look forward to continuing to strengthen relationships and supporting Tribal communities across Arizona.

The Yavapai-Apache Nation hosted NAATE, UA Cooperative/Tribal Extension Program, and the Department of Agricultural-Biosystems Engineering for a hydroponic site visit in Camp Verde, AZ. The visit included a tour and discussion to consider future hydroponic opportunities for the YAN and the communities they serve. The YAN Community Development Department and Cloverleaf Farm & Ranch facilitated the meeting and provided an overview of interests, needs, and goals for the future of hydroponics.

This past Saturday, July 12, NAATE attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the Cocopah Tribe's new Event Center.

Congratulations to the Cocopah Tribe on this exciting milestone! We are grateful to celebrate alongside our Tribal partners and look forward to the opportunities this new space will bring to the community.

During the month of June, our rotating Tribal Flags display is currently featured at the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine. We invite you to stop by. The display will be available throughout the month, so be sure to visit while it's on view. Thank you AWCIM for being a host site for the 2026 Tribal Leaders Summit, and for more information about the AWCIM, click the link in our bio.

**UA Departments interested in hosting the flags in the future, reach out to [email protected]

Thank you to Joaquin Martinez, University of Arizona alumnus, and author of The Super Generation, for serving as our luncheon keynote speaker at the 5th Annual Tribal Leaders Summit.

Drawing from his journey as a first-generation professional, Joaquin shared an inspiring message on leadership, resilience, and the importance of creating pathways for future generations. We are grateful for the insights and encouragement he shared with attendees.

Indian Gaming Association Chairman, David Z. Bean, provided a morning keynote during the Tribal Leaders Summit. Chairman Bean shared powerful insights on the importance of education, leadership, and tribal sovereignty, emphasizing the role each plays in strengthening Tribal Nations and creating opportunities for future generations. His message reinforced the importance of investing in our students, protecting tribal sovereignty, and ensuring Indigenous voices are represented in major decisions that impact Tribal communities. NAATE extends gratitude to Chairman Bean for providing a keynote message at our Summit and his continued advocacy on behalf of Tribal Nations.

The 5th Annual Tribal Leaders Summit convened UA campus stakeholders, tribal leaders, and keynote speakers. The Summit hosted a variety of sessions that focused on strengthening community ties, creating building blocks for collaboration, and community dialogue. Provost Prelock spoke about building a strong partnership between the university and tribal leadership. The Summit seeks to make a difference for our communities while also honoring tribal sovereignty.

The 5th Annual Tribal Leaders Summit opened with Pioche Food Group (PFG), a Diné owned food service based out of New Mexico. Owner and chef Justin Pioche spoke about each course that featured braised beef cheeks and blue corn tres leches cake. He talked about the importance of infusing his cultural ways into his work noting that food is the essence of nourishment, healing, beauty, and humility. Tribal leaders enjoyed a three course meal and dialog during this kick-off Summit event. One tribal leader spoke about elevating Native businesses, such as Justin, and encouraged all tribal leaders to hire Native as a form of tribal sovereignty. Chef Pioche is a Food Network Chopped Champion and a 2023 James Beard Finalist.

NAATE hosted Navajo author Brian Lee Young for lunch and conversation. Young spoke about his newly released book "Shards of Silence" and his experiences as an author and filmmaker. Members of the U of A campus community shared reflections, questions, and thoughts with Young. If you missed this event you can still catch Young at Antigone Books tonight 5/21 at 5:00p.m. for a Book Launch event.

Yesterday, the Pascua Yaqui Tribal Council met with the University of Arizona to continue building a strong education partnership for our community. Representatives from the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Education Department and the Office of the Attorney General also joined the meeting in support of this work.

Under Tribal Council's direction, the discussion focused on renewing the UA–Pascua Yaqui Education & Training Partnership. This partnership helps create more opportunities for Pascua Yaqui Tribal members, including college degrees, on-the-job training, technology and cybersecurity programs, student support services, and continued growth of the micro‑campus. Tribal Council will continue leading this effort to make sure these opportunities reflect the needs of our people today and for future generations.