Karen Francis-Begay has been appointed by President Robert Shelton as his full-time special adviser for American Indian affairs.
Francis-Begay was named special adviser to the president in January but continued in her role as director of Native American Student Affairs. President Shelton announced this week that, effective Aug. 27, Francis-Begay will be engaged full time as the president's key adviser in working with Arizona's Native American communities.
The position was created during former President Peter Likins' administration to enhance University and tribal relations, improve lines of communication with Arizona's American Indian nations, and to continue to strengthen the academic success of American Indian students in higher education. In this position, Francis-Begay:
- Serves as the president's liaison to Arizona Indian nations and act as the first point of contact for all American Indian affairs for the President's Office.
- Is the chairwoman for the president's American Indian Advisory Council.
- Is the chairwoman for the UA American Indian Scholarship Committee.
- Represents the UA as co-chair of the Arizona Tri-Universities for Indian Education.
"This is a very important step toward further development of the University's significant relationships with our 23 Native Nations within the state of Arizona," Shelton wrote in a letter to the campus community.
Francis-Begay, a member of the Navajo nation, received a bachelor's degree in public administration and a master's degree in American Indian studies from the UA. She served as the associate director for the American Indian Language Development Institute of the UA College of Education prior to becoming the director of Native American Student Affairs.