Monday October 1, 2018, 12-1:30 PM
James E. Rogers College of Law, Room 160
Join the Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy (IPLP) Program for our Fall 2018 Speaker Series to learn from leading legal advocates.
IPLP LLM graduate Wenona Benally is an Arizona State Representative for Legislative District 7. Representative Benally will be joined by Rep. Eric Descheenie, D-Chinle (District 7), for a discussion on their experiences serving in the Arizona State Legislature, updates about important policy initiatives in the state, and Benally’s path to becoming a legal advocate for indigenous peoples and a state representative.
Speaker Bio
Wenona Benally currently serves on the Land, Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee and the Rules Committee. Wenona graduated from IPLP with a Master of Laws (LLM) Degree in Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy.
Wenona is an Arizona native and is a member of the Navajo Nation. She is also Executive Director of the Navajo-Hopi Land Commission Office. She grew up in Kayenta, Arizona, where she graduated salutatorian from Monument Valley High School. Following high school, she went on to attend Arizona State University and graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. She is also a graduate of Barrett, the Honor's College at ASU. She holds a Juris Doctorate degree from Harvard Law School and a Master in Public Policy degree from Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Wenona began her law career working as an attorney for law firms in Washington, D.C. and Portland, Oregon. Since that time, she has worked as a consultant for a nonprofit organization, a research analyst at ASU and an attorney and executive director for two Indian tribal governments in Arizona. She is also a former Assistant Attorney General with the Pascua Yaqui Tribe.