Leadership
| Gabriel Lopez, Chairman |
| Delia Carlyle, Vice Chairwoman |
| Dennis Antone, Council Member |
| Lisa Garcia, Council Member |
| Cecil Peters, Council Member |
(updated March 2025)
Contact Information
Address: 42507 W. Peters and Nall Road
Maricopa, AZ 85138
Phone: 520-568-1000
Director of Health and Human Services: Pamela Thompson pthompson@ak-chin.nsn.us
GOVERNANCE: In August 2016, voters approved new amendments to the Ak-Chin Indian Community Constitution. All council seats were elected in November, 2016. Beginning in January 2017, all seats were 2-year terms; thereafter 4-year terms, with an 8-year term limit. Prior to the 2016 amendment, the council selected the Chair and Vice Chair. Now, the Chair and Vice Chair are voted in by the Ak-Chin Community. The legislative council meets on the first and third Wednesday of every month. The Ak-Chin Indian Community is located in Congressional District 1; Legislative District 11.
CONSTITUTION: To view the Ak-Chin Indian Community's original Constitution, see: Ak-Chin Indian Community Constitution and Bylaws, adopted 1961.
To view the 2016 voter-approved Constitution, see: 2016 Amended Constitution file below.
COMMUNITY PROFILE: The Ak-Chin Indian Community consists of both Tohono O'odham and Pima Indians in the Sonoran Desert of south-central Arizona. The O'odham translation of Ak-Chin means "mouth of the wash" or "place where the wash loses itself in the sand or ground." According to the Ak-Chin, this term refers to a type of farming that relies on washes or seasonal floodplains for irrigation. The Ak-Chin Indian Community was established in May 1912 through an Executive Order from President Taft. The originally-established 47,600-acre reservation was reduced to less than 22,000 acres in 1913. In 1961 the Tribe's government was formally organized, and the Ak-Chin are currently governed by a five-member Tribal Council.
According to the 2018-2022 U.S. Census, approximately 1,450 individuals live on Ak-Chin Indian Community tribal land in Arizona. This land is located in the Santa Cruz Valley 58 miles south of Phoenix, Arizona. All of the land within the Ak-Chin Community is held in trust by the United States government. The land area consists of 32.78 square miles, with 16,000 of the 21,840 acres dedicated to agriculture/farming. This makes the Ak-Chin community one of the largest farming communities in the United States.
The Ak-Chin Indian Community runs the Ak-Chin Him Dak Eco-Museum, the first of its kind in America. The museum was established to preserve, protect, promote, and teach all aspects of Ak-Chin heritage. The museum hosts two yearly celebrations, the annual Him-Dak Celebration in April, and Native American Recognition Day in September. The Community also operates Harrah's Ak-Chin Casino and Resort, Ak-Chin Pavillion, and Ak-Chin Farms.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau 2018-2022 American Community Survey, the population of the Maricopa (Ak-Chin) Indian Reservation and Off-Reservation Trust Land is 1,450. The following document provides a Census snapshot of the Ak-Chin Indian Community with comparisons to the state of Arizona and the United States as a whole.
Note: When interpreting data for small populations or rural areas, it is important to note the margin of error, which is provided where possible. The margin of error can be interpreted as providing a 90 percent probability that the true value lies within the estimate plus and minus the margin of error.
First Things First is Arizona's early childhood agency, providing health screenings and a variety of services across the state. Included here are three of their reports for the Pinal region, which includes the Ak-Chin Indian Community.
The following reports summarize the businesses and market predictions available on the Ak-Chin Indian Community reservation: