Utah Division of Indian Affairs outlines liaison role, events and services

James Toledo, assistant director of the Utah Division of Indian Affairs, told listeners of the state library's podcast that his office serves as a government-to-government connector between tribal and state agencies and provides community-facing programs and cultural preservation work.

"We work directly with state government ... and also with tribal governments," Toledo said, summarizing the division's liaison role. He said the office helps tribes identify the appropriate counterparts in state agencies and runs trainings for state tribal liaisons intended to improve cultural understanding and working relationships.

Toledo, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, said there are eight federally recognized tribal nations with communities in Utah and described tribal governments as political entities. "Tribal governments are not a racial classification," he said, adding that each nation sets its own election procedures.

The division operates in four strategic areas: government-to-government communications (tribal consultations, state tribal liaison meetings and tribal caucus day); community engagement (events such as Utah's Indigenous Day and voter registration services for Navajo Nation citizens); cultural preservation (museum consultation and a human remains program); and internal operations (communications and records management).

Toledo said liaison trainings were paused during the COVID-19 pandemic and are scheduled to resume in the second quarter of 2025. He highlighted two recent outreach efforts: a two-day resource fair cohosted with Navajo Nation, the Utah Department of Health and Human Services and Utah Foster Care that drew roughly 400'425 attendees, and the division's annual Native American summit at Utah Valley University, which typically attracts about 450'to'500 participants.

The division staff, he said, includes four full-time employees'director Dustin Jansen, Toledo himself, cultural liaison Jacob Crane and administrative assistant Rosanna Benally Sagg'plus an intern who is completing studies at the University of Utah. The office also works with community partners on programs such as the Moccasin 5K to raise awareness of foster care and recruit Native American foster homes.

On cultural preservation, Toledo said staff are working with the museum team for the new museum at the State Capitol to ensure tribal input, and the division administers a human remains program that coordinates with state historic-preservation officials.

"The native community is here. We're here. We're not in the past anymore," Toledo said, directing listeners to the division's website (indian.utah.gov) and social media for details on events and services.

The podcast episode closed with the Utah State Library listing its services and web resources.