Jaclyn Roessel

Born and raised on the Navajo Nation, it is the wisdom of her homelands that shapes Jaclyn Roessel’s cosmovision. Experience as a museum education professional, cultural arts producer and curator confirmed her belief of the inherent power of utilizing cultural learning as a tool to engage and build stronger communities. Molded by her grandmothers, Jaclyn has fostered a praxis that utilizes Indigenous ways of knowing and decolonized methodologies as a catalyst to build cultural equity in organizations like the San Antonio Museum of Art, San Diego Museum of Us and more. Whether it is in her poetic writings, or in her work as a cultural justice & equity consultant, Jaclyn is motivated by the pursuit of Indigenous excellence and the action to radically imagine futures where Native peoples’ lands and cultures are thriving, revered and protected. 

An alumnus from Arizona State University, Roessel was the inaugural recipient of the Arizona Humanities Rising Star Award in 2013, which is given to young professionals whose work elevates the importance of humanities in the community. She’s been named one of Phoenix 100 Creatives You Should Know. Working in the museums Roessel confirmed her belief in the power of utilizing cultural learning as a tool to engage and build stronger Native communities. As the president of Grownup Navajo, she is building a company dedicated to sharing how Native American teachings and values are tools to help build greater cultural equity in museums, organizations and our communities.

She is a 2023 recipient of the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development’s prestigious 40 Under 40 Award, which recognizes forty emerging American Indians from across Indian Country who have demonstrated leadership, initiative, and dedication and made significant contributions in business and/or in their community.

Roessel is one of eight co-founders of Native Women Lead, a 2017-2018 National Art Strategies Creative Community Fellow and a graduate of the Native Entrepreneurs-In-Residence program. She was appointed to the New Mexico Governor’s Council on Racial Justice.

Most importantly, Jaclyn is a wife, mother and lives with her family in the Pueblo of Tamaya in New Mexico.