As a kid, I was able to express my art and storytelling but I didn’t know that I would have a 29 year job in environmental protection. My art showed sky scrapers with air pollution and the theme was “where did all the flowers go”.
I was interested in plant biology with an emphasis in native medicines. My degree from the University of New Mexico was in Botany. I have a minor in art (oils, drawings, print, photography and other media). I followed my dream in
art until I realized that I had to be very good at art and that I had to be aggressive in selling my art. In reality, I had to use my biology degree to find a job.
I was hired as an Environmental Specialist II when the Navajo Nation Environmental Protection Agency was starting to develop its programs. I began my career in protecting water within the Navajo Public Water Systems Supervision Program. The work involved developing the laws
and regulations for drinking water to ensure that all piped water to homes, businesses, and schools met the requirements for safe drinking water. My work involved personnel, grant writing, and developing a program for enforcement, database management, training, and engineer
construction permit reviews.
The program applied for primary enforcement authority to the USEPA Region 9 and received primacy in December 2000. Staff became proficient in conducting sanitary survey inspections, entering water quality data, ensuring operators of public water systems become certified
specific to the type of system they operate, developing training for the operators, and conducting engineering reviews with construction permitting requirements for new/renovated/extensions of drinking water infrastructure.
Using the permit fees that were generated, a Domestic Wastewater Program was developed. The Domestic Wastewater Program regulates lagoons, septic tanks, and water treatment plants. The program conducts sanitary survey inspections, enforcement, and ensures operators are certified.
I eventually became the Environmental Department Manager in early 2022 and I now oversee the Navajo Water Quality Program, the Navajo NPDES Program, as well as the Navajo PWSSP, Navajo Domestic Wastewater Program, and the Navajo Underground Injection Control Program.
I am a mother, a wife, a grandmother, an environmentalist, and a farmer/rancher.