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Nevada Department of Native American Affairs outlines priorities after reorganization
Summary
Stacy Montouth, executive director of the Nevada Department of Native American Affairs, told the Senate Committee on Natural Resources that the DNAA became a standalone department on July 1 and will focus on health and human services, education, economic development and environmental stewardship for Nevada’s 28 tribal governments and urban Native American residents.
Stacy Montouth, executive director of the Nevada Department of Native American Affairs (DNAA), told the Senate Committee on Natural Resources that the agency officially separated from the Department of Tourism on July 1 and now operates as a standalone state department reporting directly to the governor.
Montouth, who said she is an enrolled citizen of the Walker River Paiute Tribe, described the DNAA’s mission as improving quality of life for Nevada’s 28 tribal governments and the roughly 62,000 self‑identified urban Native Americans who live in the state. She emphasized that the department serves as a liaison and conduit between tribal governments and the governor’s office and that the director “speaks with” tribal governments but does not “speak for” sovereign tribal governments.
The department’s top priorities, Montouth said, are health and human services, education, economic development and the environment. She told committee members that health and human services repeatedly surfaced as the highest priorities during her outreach to tribal leaders and noted stark disparities in life expectancy and socioeconomic indicators on many tribal lands.
Montouth described programmatic relationships and representation her office holds on state boards and advisory groups: the department has a voting seat on the Nevada Division of Outdoor Recreation Advisory Board, a tribal citizen seat on the State Land Use Plan Advisory Council (SLUPAC), and representation on the Nevada State Board of Geographic Names. She also noted partnerships with the University of Nevada Extension, The Nature Conservancy, Inter‑Tribal Council of Nevada and the Tribal Historic Preservation Officers (THPOs) from seven tribal nations.
Montouth said the department is based at the Stewart Indian School campus in Carson City and invited committee members to visit the Stewart Indian School Cultural Center and Museum to learn more about the history of federal boarding schools and the campus’ role in tribal history.
Ending: Committee members thanked Montouth for the overview and encouraged the DNAA to remain engaged as bills affecting tribal communities move through the Legislature.
