Brian D. Parrish, longtime Navajo Nation gaming chief, dies at 65
Brian D. Parrish, who helped grow Navajo Nation gaming into four casinos and a travel plaza, died May 31 at 65. A memorial is set for June 12 in Tulsa.
Brian D. Parrish, who spent nearly a decade steering Navajo Nation gaming, died May 31 at age 65, leaving behind an enterprise that now runs four casino properties in Arizona and New Mexico plus the Navajo Blue Travel Plaza on I-40. His memorial service is scheduled for June 12 in the Dogwood Room at Osage Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Parrish was named chief executive officer of the Navajo Nation Gaming Enterprise in February 2017 after serving as acting CEO and as chief operating officer since 2014. Navajo Gaming says the enterprise, established in 2006 and operating since 2004, has created more than 1,300 jobs and distributed millions of dollars in revenue to the Nation and state governments, making it one of the tribe’s most visible economic engines.
His impact went well beyond the balance sheet. When Parrish announced he was leaving the enterprise in August 2023, Quincy Natay said more than 84% of the workforce were Navajo Nation members and that 71% of the organization’s 275 leadership positions were in management and executive leadership roles. Natay also credited Parrish with helping develop Navajo-brand food products, including Navajo Fizz, Navajo coffee products and specialty barbecue sauces, and with moving forward work with Hard Rock Digital on an on-site sportsbook.
Parrish’s career in gaming and hospitality stretched more than 30 years and included leadership roles at the Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort and Casino, Quechan Casino Resort and Paradise Casino. After leaving Navajo Gaming, he became chief operations officer for Osage Casinos in 2024, where he joined as the Osage Nation Gaming Enterprise entered a new expansion phase with two new casino properties.
For McKinley County and the wider Navajoland economy, Parrish’s death matters because tribal gaming leadership reaches far beyond casinos. The jobs, revenue and management structures he helped build supported tribal programs and everyday spending across the region, while his tenure also left a visible imprint on Navajo-owned products and new business ventures.
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