Biographies
Dr. Buu Nygren is the youngest Navajo Nation President elected in history at the age of 35. He is a carpenter, construction manager, and father.
Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren is a carpenter, public servant, and father who has spent his life building—first with his hands, and now through public service focused on the long-term needs of Navajo communities. Raised on the Navajo Nation, Nygren worked a wide range of jobs from a young age, developing a strong work ethic shaped by family, community, and the realities of life across Dinétah.
Before taking office, Nygren built a career in construction and project management, helping deliver schools, senior housing, and public safety facilities across the country. He later returned home to serve as Chief Commercial Officer for the Navajo Engineering and Construction Authority (NECA), where he worked with tribal enterprise teams to expand the Nation’s capacity to manage and deliver large-scale infrastructure projects.
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Elected as the 10th President of the Navajo Nation in November 2022 and sworn in on January 10, 2023, President Nygren entered office with a clear focus: securing the basic foundations for every home—water, electricity, reliable roads, and strong government systems. These essentials, he believes, are critical to reducing poverty and improving quality of life across the Navajo Nation.
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His administration has prioritized long-term, structural progress in protecting Navajo water security, expanding infrastructure and broadband connectivity, strengthening governance and sovereignty, and improving the effectiveness of government services for the Navajo people.
Long-Term Priorities and Accomplishments
Water Security and Rights
Advancing major water-rights settlement efforts and strengthening the Navajo Nation’s role in Colorado River discussions to protect access to clean water for future generations.
Infrastructure and Basic Services
Supporting significant investments in water, utilities, and transportation infrastructure while improving coordination to deliver projects in historically underserved communities.
Environmental Protection and Land Stewardship
Promoting long-term solutions to environmental challenges, including efforts addressing illegal dumping and land remediation, while elevating responsible land stewardship and livestock management.
Navajo Sovereignty and Intergovernmental Leadership
Defending the Nation’s authority through government-to-government engagement and strengthening the Navajo Nation’s voice in major regional decisions.
Economic Foundations and Opportunity
Expanding economic opportunity by supporting entrepreneurship and advancing business site leases that help Navajo-owned businesses grow and succeed.
Connectivity and Modernization
Advancing broadband expansion to connect homes and communities, supporting education, telehealth, and economic development across Navajo chapters.
President Nygren is married to Jasmine Blackwater Nygren, and together they have two daughters
In our Navajo way, k’e teaches us respect and goodwill toward all our relatives. We are all five-fingered, intelligent Earth dwellers. K’e is what makes being Navajo, and our Navajo way, so beautiful. We are inclusive. We are connected. We belong.
We are taught to live a way of life that honors all people.
- President Buu Nygren
First Lady Jasmine Blackwater-Nygren is a licensed attorney, community advocate, mother, & wife of Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren.
First Lady Jasmine Blackwater Nygren is the first Indigenous American county attorney in the state of Arizona, public servant, and community advocate whose career has focused on expanding opportunity, strengthening public institutions, and improving everyday life for families across the Navajo Nation.
Raised on the Navajo Nation, where many households continue to face limited infrastructure and unequal access to basic services, Blackwater Nygren has long viewed public service as a responsibility grounded in lived experience. When she was sworn into the Arizona House of Representatives in 2021, she spoke candidly about the gap between life in many rural Navajo communities and the assumptions often built into statewide policy—highlighting realities such as hauling water and relying on woodstoves for heat.
Public Service and Leadership
In 2021, Blackwater Nygren was appointed to serve as State Representative for Arizona’s Legislative District 7, filling a vacancy and becoming the youngest member of the Arizona House at the time. During her service in the legislature, she emphasized community-centered priorities including protecting voter access and expanding healthcare and education opportunities for rural and Indigenous communities.
Through her legal career, she has also gained experience across both tribal and state institutions. She has worked with the Navajo Nation Office of Legislative Counsel and the Navajo Nation Supreme Court, giving her firsthand insight into how law and governance shape public services, accountability, and the protection of rights within the Navajo Nation.
Education and Legal Training
First Lady Blackwater Nygren earned her undergraduate degree from Stanford University in 2017 and received her Juris Doctor from Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law in 2020. Her academic training and professional work reflect a long-standing commitment to using the law as a tool to strengthen communities—particularly those that have historically faced barriers to infrastructure, public safety, and access to government resources.
First Lady of the Navajo Nation
As First Lady, Jasmine Blackwater Nygren represents a new generation of Navajo leadership grounded in professional experience and community responsibility. She supports initiatives that strengthen families and build long-term prosperity, with a focus on safe homes, reliable infrastructure, youth opportunity, and effective public institutions.
