Former Navajo gaming chief Brian D. Parrish dies at 65

Brian D. Parrish helped turn Navajo gaming into a broader economic engine, overseeing a workforce that was more than 84% Navajo Nation members and leaving behind a four-casino system that stretched across the Nation. Parrish, who led the Navajo Nation Gaming Enterprise for nearly a decade, died May 31 at 65. A celebration of life was scheduled for June 12 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

His career covered more than 30 years in gaming, hospitality and business operations, with executive stops at the Osage Nation Gaming Enterprise, Quechan Casino Resort, Paradise Casino and Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort and Casino. An industry bio described him as a 37-year gaming veteran, including 21 years in Native American gaming, and said he served as chief executive or chief operating officer for four federally recognized Native American nations.

Parrish joined the Navajo Nation Gaming Enterprise as chief operating officer in 2014, six years after the enterprise opened its first casino. He became chief executive in 2017 after serving as acting CEO, and his tenure ended up spanning nine years and seven months, the longest stretch on his professional profile. Navajo Gaming says the enterprise was established in 2006 and now operates Fire Rock Navajo Casino, Flowing Water Navajo Casino, Northern Edge Navajo Casino and Twin Arrows Navajo Casino Resort. Fire Rock, the first property, opened in November 2008 in Church Rock near Gallup, New Mexico.

His years at the helm included one of the hardest periods in the enterprise’s history. The Navajo Nation’s four casinos closed on March 17, 2020, when coronavirus was first reported on the Nation, and Parrish later described the shutdown as lasting 15 months. Twin Arrows reopened on July 12, 2021, as the enterprise worked back toward full operations after the pandemic strain on jobs and revenue.

By the time Parrish left in 2023, Quincy Natay said the enterprise had built a stronger internal pipeline for Navajo workers and managers. Natay said, “Under Brian’s leadership, over 84 percent of our workforce are members of the Navajo Nation,” and said 71% of 275 leadership positions were in management and executive roles. Natay also said Parrish helped develop Navajo-branded food products, including Navajo Fizz, Navajo coffee products and specialty barbecue sauces, and helped build a partnership with Hard Rock Digital for an on-site sportsbook. Matthew Shunkamolah was named interim CEO.

Parrish’s later move to the Osage Nation Gaming Enterprise in 2023 showed how closely top tribal gaming jobs move across Indian Country, especially as nations expand hotels, casinos and other hospitality businesses. He also had been recognized in 2020 as one of Bentley Price Associates’ Best of the Best leaders. For Navajo gaming, the lasting mark of Parrish’s career is the operating structure he left behind, from workforce development to branded products and sports betting, all of it tied to jobs and opportunity across the Navajo Nation and nearby communities.