Crystalyne Curley 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 was Miss Navajo from 2011 to 2012.

Life

Curley is from Fish Point, Arizona. She is Tsénjíkiní and born for Tó’aheedlíinii. Her maternal grandfather is Kinyaa’áanii, and her paternal grandfather is Dził T’aadi Kinyaa’áanii. Curley graduated with two bachelor's degrees from the

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...

. She earned a master's in health administration from the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; ) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. Founded in 1889 by the New Mexico Territorial Legislature, it is the state's second oldest university, a flagship university in th ...

. Curley was Miss Navajo from 2011 to 2012. She ran for the Navajo Nation Council Delegate position in 2022. Crystalyne Curley is currently working in the Navajo Nation Speaker's Office. She later served as the senior public information officer for Navajo Nation President,

Jonathan Nez Jonathan Nez (born May 26, 1975) is a Navajo politician who served as the 9th President of the Navajo Nation from 2019 to 2023. He previously served as Vice President and as a Navajo Nation Council delegate. Earlier in his career, Nez served as ...

. On November 8, 2022, Curley was elected delegate after defeating incumbent Kee Allen Begay. 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. In January 2023, the council elected Curley as its speaker, making her the first woman to hold the position and the first fluent

Navajo The Navajo or Diné are an Indigenous people of the Southwestern United States. Their traditional language is Diné bizaad, a Southern Athabascan language. The states with the largest Diné populations are Arizona (140,263) and New Mexico (1 ...

speaker in the role since Johnny Naize's resignation in 2014.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Curley, Crystalyne Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) Speakers of the Navajo Nation Council 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century Native American politicians 21st-century Native American women Arizona State University alumni University of New Mexico alumni Women in Arizona politics 21st-century American legislators Navajo women