Dr. Harold G. Begay appointed Superintendent of Schools

WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. — After operating with an acting superintendent since 2020, the Navajo Nation Department of Diné Education (DODE) has filled the position with a full-time appointment.

Dr. Harold G. Begay was first selected for the Superintendent of Schools position by the Navajo Nation Board of Education during a special meeting in March 2021. Through the months that followed, legislation regarding the selection of Begay passed through the Health, Education and Human Services Committee (HEHSC), the Naabik’íyáti’ Committee and the 24th Navajo Nation Council.

After several hours of discussion between Begay and the Navajo Nation Council during their Jan. 7 Special Session, the motion to approve the legislation was made and passed with a vote of 23 in favor, zero opposed, and one not voting.

Begay brings more than two decades of experience to the role from his time as an elected public school board member, Federal Projects Director, K-12 principal, Human Resource Director, Business Manager, Assistant, Associate and Superintendent.

Prior to his work in education, Begay served in the U.S. Marine Corps before obtaining a bachelor’s and master’s from Northern Arizona University and then a Ph.D. in school finance and education administration from the University of Arizona in 1986.

In addition to being a published author with contributions to books on education and the teaching of Navajo children, Begay worked to convert BIE-operated schools to BIE-funded 297 schools or to state-funded or Impact Aid charter schools including Greyhills Academy High School, Shonto Prep School, Lukachukai Community School and Nazlini Community School.