• Hometown:
• Age during reign:
• Education: B.A. in Broadcast Journalism from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Telecommunication at Arizona State University in Tempe, minored in Business Administration and American Indian Justice Studies
• Clans:
  • I am (Nishlí): Water Flows Together People (Tó Aheedlíinii)
  • Born for (Báshíshchíín): Towering House People (Kinyaa'áanii)
  • My Maternal Grandparents are (Dashichei): Red Jaw People or Red Bottom People (Tl'ááshchí'í)
  • My Paternal Grandparents are (Dashinálí): Reed People (Lók'aa' Dine'é)

She has worked as a planner director for the New Mexico Office of Indian Affairs in Santa Fe, N.M., as a legislative liaison for the Navajo Nation Office of the President and Vice President, and as a news writer at KTVK 3-TV's Good Morning Arizona Show in Phoenix.

Following story from the RTNDA.ORG website. Tina James-Tafoya Host and Producer of National Native News in Albuquerque, NM

Tina James-Tafoya’s family just got electricity a year and a half ago; they still don’t have running water. But that’s life on the reservation in Wheatfields,AZ.

One of her dreams growing up was to become Miss Navajo Nation. “It’s kind of like Miss USA, but [there’s] no swimsuit contest,” she laughs. On her second try, in 1992 at age 20, she suc-ceeded.

That meant taking a year off from school to travel and speak, and that’s when she really became interest-ed in media. She graduated from Arizona State University in 1997. She became press officer for the Navajo then president, and then press officer for the New Mexico Office of Indian Affairs.

Then she started working for Native America Calling, a one-hour weekday call-in program. In February of this year, she became host and pro-ducer of National Native News. Fed from Albuquerque, the five-minute weekday newscast runs on more than 200 radio stations across the country. The idea is to help Native Americans and educate others.

“I want to be here with National Native News to see it grow,” says James-Tafoya. “I want to see it improve, and I would love to have a part in that.” She and her husband have a 3-year-old son, Zak, and a daughter who’s a year and a half. Her name is Dezbah—which in Navajo means “she’s ready for war.”

Email address tina@nativeamericacalling.com

Following story from NativeNews.net Tina James-Tafoya, Senior Producer, Host for “National Native News” Tina James-Tafoya is a member of the Navajo Nation. Her clans are Water Flows Together and Towering House. Her maternal and paternal grandparent clans are Red Bottom and Reed. She is originally from the Arizona portion of the Navajo Nation. She joined Native America Calling as an associate producer in 2002 and was recently promoted to host and producer of National Native News. Prior to N.A.C., she was employed as planner director for the New Mexico Office of Indian Affairs in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She also worked as a legislative liaison for the Navajo Nation Office of the President & Vice President and completed a news writing internship at KTVK 3-TV's Good Morning Arizona Show in Phoenix, Arizona. She is also a former Miss Navajo Nation titleholder.

Tina received her B.A. in Broadcast Journalism from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Telecommunication at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona, where she also minored in Business Administration and American Indian Justice Studies.

Tina and her husband, Matthew, are the proud parents of two children, son Zak and daughter Dezbah.

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