Jolyana Begay-Kroupa, is originally from Ch’ildiilyésiitah (Rabbitbrush) near Fort Defiance, AZ. She is Navajo (Diné) born into Táchii’nii (Red Running into the Water People) and born for Tsinaajinii (Black Streak Wood People). Her maternal grandfathers are Tł’ááshchí’í (Red Bottom Cheek People) and her paternal grandfathers are Ye’ii Dine’é Táchii’nii (Giant People of the Red Running into the Water People). She currently resides in the Phoenix, AZ, where she serves as the Chief Executive Officer for the Phoenix Indian Center which is the oldest and first social service agency in the United States dedicated to improving the health and well-being of all, with services targeted to American Indian people. Jolyana aims to support the urban-living American Indian Community and assuring continued service is present to support the needs of her community.
She holds a Master of Arts in Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education – with an emphasis in American Indian Education Policy and a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education both from Arizona State University. Jolyana honorably served as the 50th Miss Navajo Nation (2001-02) and continues to advocate for language and culture revitalization. In addition to her work at Phoenix Indian Center she currently teaches Navajo language classes at Arizona State University. She has also taught at Stanford, Harvard University and Yale University. Language learning and revitalization efforts are her passion, as she continually aims to provide a strong lens for language and culture to always be interwoven and incorporated in all aspects of her work.