Diné College Provost Says New President Fired Her for Being White

Dr. Alysa Landry learned she was no longer Diné College's provost through a human resources email on March 19, 2026, with no meeting, no formal review, and no performance complaint attached. President Deborah Jackson-Dennison's termination letter contained one stated rationale: she intended to "replace you with a qualified Navajo individual, again, of my choosing and who will reflect my management leadership approach." The letter makes no mention of misconduct or performance issues. Landry's four-word summary of the action: "She fired me for being white."

Jackson-Dennison officially assumed her role on March 2, 2026, making Landry's termination her first major personnel action as president, 17 days into her tenure. Landry had worked at the college since 2019 and had served as provost for nearly three years after first being hired as an assistant professor of English and creative writing. She had served in the provost role on an interim basis since June 2023, before receiving a formal appointment in September 2024. Landry holds master's degrees in journalism and creative nonfiction and a Ph.D. in Holocaust and Genocide Studies.

PPPM refers to the college's personnel policies and procedures, which Jackson-Dennison cited as the authority for her action. Landry said the delivery of the letter was itself revealing. "The new president had HR just email it to me," she said. "So all I received was an email copy of the termination letter."

For McKinley County, the disruption is concrete. Diné College operates a branch campus in Crownpoint, in McKinley County, New Mexico. The college's dual credit program lists Gallup-McKinley County Schools as a partner, connecting area high school students to college coursework. Diné College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, and the provost's office is central to maintaining the governance documentation those accreditation reviews require. A mid-semester vacancy at that level puts continuity of those partnerships and oversight structures under real pressure.

Jackson-Dennison is a Diné College alumna and an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who brings nearly four decades of experience in educational leadership, with a career dedicated to advancing Indigenous sovereignty, self-determination, and academic excellence. As president of a tribally governed institution, she holds significant authority over personnel decisions, and the college's sovereign status shapes whatever legal recourse may be available to Landry.

What remains publicly unanswered is whether Landry has formal appeal rights under PPPM, whether the Board of Regents will address the controversy, and what timeline Diné College will follow in naming a replacement provost. Inside Higher Ed picked up the story within days of the Navajo Times report. That level of national attention puts the board and Jackson-Dennison under pressure to explain the process on the record, on a timeline the institution does not control.