Ep.31 | Director of Tribal Affairs for AZ Governor Katie Hobbs, Jason Chavez

We're back in our Mesa studio for Episode 31 of The Native Edge podcast, and Chris and Yvette welcome a special guest - Jason Chavez, Director of Tribal Affairs for Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs.

Jason has a background in voting and election administration, having previously served under then-Secretary of State Hobbs. We was also the voter outreach coordinator to his tribe, Tohono Oʼodham, for the Pima County, Arizona Recorder's Office. He discussed his passion for elections, as well as some of the major tribal initiatives and priorities at the Governor's office, including the groundbreaking "Turquoise Alert" system for MMIP in Arizona.

In addition, Chris and Yvette discussed some of the big things happening at The National Center, including the upcoming NEI in Bar Harbor, Maine (registration info, including virtual options, is below) and registration for the 2026 Reservation Economic Summit. Plus, be on the lookout for future episodes discussing our recent trade mission to New Zealand!

Thank for your listening - and please tell your friends!

Jason Chavez |
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonnchavez520/

Governor's Office of Tribal Affairs |
https://gotr.azgovernor.gov/

Tribal Energy and Economic Futures Summit |
https://gotr.azgovernor.gov/gotr/tribal-energy-and-economic-futures-summit

Indian Nations and Tribes Legislative Day |
https://gotr.azgovernor.gov/gotr/indian-nations-and-tribes-legislative-day

Chapters

• 1:02 Intro
• 7:43 Meet Jason
• 11:10 Background in Ranching
• 13:41 A Non-Traditional College Journey Leads to Public Service
• 16:41 Moving to Virginia and "Snowmadgeddon"
• 18:16 Introducing Virginia Tech to Indian Country
• 20:46 Moving Back to Arizona and the 2020 Election
• 24:52 Vote by Mail and Voting Traditions
• 30:07 Data Gaps in Indian Country
• 33:19 2020 Election and Moving to the Governor's Office
• 35:18 Emphasizing Tribal Issues at The Governor's Office
• 40:07 Governor Hobbs's Tribal Priorities
• 44:36 MMIP and the Turquoise Alert
• 48:02 Upcoming Projects
• 49:45 Work-Life Balance
• 52:19 Wrap Up