Leadership
| Carlene Yellowhair, President |
| Johnny Lehi, Jr., Vice President |
| Natrone King, Northern Area Council Member |
| Louise Tallman, Northern Area Council Member |
| Chenoa Burbank, Southern Area Council Member |
| TBD, Southern Area Council Member |
| Lepayton Choe, At-Large Council Member |
(updated March 2025)
Contact Information
Address: 50 S. Main Street, Ste. 201
Tuba City, AZ 86045
Phone: 928-283-4762
Health Department Director:
Dr. Leland Leonard l.leonard@sanjuanpaiute-nsn.gov
GOVERNANCE: The Tribal government is led by a seven-member Tribal Council: the President, Vice-President, at-large council member, two council members from the northern area, and two council members from the southern area. Council members serve 4-year terms, and there is no restriction on serving multiple consecutive terms. The Council meets on the first Friday of each month.
CONSTITUTION:
COMMUNITY PROFILE: The San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe gained federal recognition in 1990, but the Tribe has lived for several hundred years in territory between the San Juan and Colorado Rivers, east of the Grand Canyon. The Tribe is one of the smallest tribes in Arizona, and its traditional territory has been subsumed as part of the Navajo Nation reservation. In 1907, Paiute lands north of Arizona in Utah were proclaimed as the Paiute Strip Reservation, under the jurisdiction of the Western Navajo Agency. In 1922, the Paiute Strip Reservation was completely integrated into Navajo lands and the Tribe lost their land base. Currently, the San Juan Southern Paiute people live in multiple communities in Northern Arizona. The largest of these are in Willow Springs, near Tuba City, and near the Arizona-Utah border at Paiute Canyon.
The San Juan Southern Paiute Tribal Leaders are currently working with Navajo Nation, the Hopi Tribe, and leaders in Washington D.C., and are on the cusp of establishing the San Juan Southern Paiute Reservation, with associated water rights. Read more.