Navajo Nation Youth Advisory Council Confirms 12 Members for 2026-2028 Term

Twelve young Navajo leaders will spend the next two years advising the nation's legislative branch after the Naabik'íyáti' Committee voted 13-5 on March 12 to confirm membership of the Navajo Nation Youth Advisory Council for the 2026-2028 term, selecting the cohort from a competitive pool of 41 applicants.

The approval of Legislation No. 0051-26, sponsored by Speaker Crystalyne Curley, came during a regular committee meeting in Window Rock, Arizona, where the youth appointments were placed on the consent agenda alongside other significant business, including a measure approving $6 million in emergency assistance for 110 Navajo Nation chapters.

"Our youth are the future of the Navajo Nation, and their voices deserve to be heard at every level of governance," Curley said. "I am proud to support these 12 outstanding young leaders as they step into this role with purpose, determination, and a deep commitment to their communities. The 25th Navajo Nation Council stands fully behind them as they begin this important journey."

Under the council's governing legislation, the 12-member body draws two representatives from each of the five Navajo Nation Agencies, plus two at-large members appointed by the Speaker to represent Navajo youth living off the reservation. All members must be enrolled Navajo Nation members between the ages of 14 and 24, serving two-year terms beginning upon confirmation.

The confirmed members represent communities across the Navajo Nation's geographic reach. Representing the Eastern Navajo Agency are Nikko Yazzie of Church Rock, New Mexico, who encourages Navajo youth to connect with Diné arts and crafts, and Kendri Kinlacheeny of Smith Lake, a sophomore at McKinley Academy whose interests span politics and psychology. Central Agency representatives include Vydell Willie of Round Rock, Arizona, who is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Indian Country Criminal Justice at Northern Arizona University, and Aryiah James of Wheatfields, Arizona, who is working toward an associate degree in business administration with plans to become an entrepreneur.

Representing the Western Navajo Agency are Yanabah Smith of Oljato-Monument Valley, Utah, focused on expanding opportunities for Navajo youth while preserving Diné culture, and Kaya Dickson of Kaibeto, Arizona, a Northern Arizona University graduate who currently works with the Community Assistance Teams of Flagstaff assisting unsheltered individuals. The two at-large seats went to Kaylee Bahe of Piñon, Arizona, a Tufts University student pursuing a path toward Indigenous rights law, and Louvannina Tsosie of Tohlakai, New Mexico, who recently earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of Colorado Denver and plans to pursue a master's degree in counseling. The names of the remaining four confirmed members were not included in available council materials at the time of publication.

The confirmation marks a structural milestone for the advisory body. Under resolutions CS-40-25 and CJY-19-25, the NNYAC was moved from the Office of the President and Vice President into the Legislative Branch, a shift the council described as designed to strengthen the council's role in shaping policy. The body was originally established by Resolution CAP-26-17 on April 19, 2017. Under its governing rules, members must select a leadership model incorporating Diné fundamental law and K'e traditional principles, with a Chair who abstains from voting except to break ties.

The 25th Navajo Nation Council also encouraged all 29 applicants who were not selected to remain engaged by attending NNYAC meetings and participating in ongoing conversations about the nation's future.