The Navajo Nation has appointed Sharen Sandoval as the new director for its Department of Emergency Management. Sandoval, a Navajo woman with a robust military background, has served nearly 14 years in the U.S. Air Force and is returning to her roots, ready to apply her extensive experience in emergency preparedness to support her community. Sandoval told the Office of the President and Vice President of the Navajo Nation, "I’ve developed a love for structure, for organization, for seeing things through, from the very beginning to the very end."
Her hiring on July 1 has filled a long-standing vacancy in a key government role, which had seen only interim directors since 2016. The last permanent director, Rose Whitehair, served from 2012 to 2015. Division of Public Safety Director Michael Anderson expressed confidence in Sandoval's abilities, stating, "We have high expectations of her to fill a position that has been vacant that nobody else has really wanted to do or wasn’t qualified or found not qualified to do." Sandoval's goal is to shift the Navajo Department of Emergency Management from a reactive to a proactive stance regarding crisis situations.
Despite challenges and controversy surrounding her appointment – allegedly related to her being the daughter of Patrick Sandoval, Chief of Staff at the Office of the President and Vice President – Sandoval was chosen based on her qualifications and dedication to public service. According to Michael Anderson, "Ms. Sandoval applied on her own will and accord," and her selection was made on "her own merit, formal education achievements, and almost two decades of stellar military service, among many major contributions to public safety."
In addition to her military credentials, Sandoval is a graduate from Arizona State University, earning a bachelor's degree in public service and public policy with a focus in Emergency Management and Homeland Knowledge.
