Crystal Miller

Crystal Miller is an enrolled citizen of the Walker River Paiute Tribe and a PhD© at the University of Arizona focusing her studies on Federal Indian Law and Policy, Tribal Constitution Reform, and Strengthening Indigenous Governance. She has specifically explored how the Federal Indian Policies that govern and provide both the guidelines and restrictions on Native Nations ability to assert their own sovereignty have impacted Tribes. Crystal has invested in the protection of Tribal lands and resources and continues to fight legally and politically to ensure that the Tribe’s interests are included regarding lands directly impacted by outside agencies. Her commitment to understanding and disseminating knowledge to Native Nations is a high priority that is evidenced in the work she has done and continues to do. Through reform processes of Tribal constitutions and governing documents that guide Native Nations, she has worked to align Tribal interests in a way that protects their interests, culture, and lands. Crystal has testified before the state senate, conducted many consultations, provided training to Federal Agencies on G-2-G and established law and order codes that define the processes of consultation for Tribes. She has seamlessly assisted Native Nations in strengthening their governing systems by fully exerting and exercising their own sovereignty and divorcing western governing systems. Her experience in managing and directing Tribal day to day operations is extensive and she has excelled in implementing corrective action plans to solve organizational and/or departmental problems, strategic planning, and analyzing program productivity. The unique experience and strengths that she brings to the table is the experience of implementing and actualizing the skills she has been trained in in both academia and her professional career. Her foundational focus points form around Tribal sovereignty protection and Indigenous governance strengthening. She has been able to apply Indigenous methodologies and frameworks, as well as create her own that’s represented the Agai Dicutta culture and living spirit. In doing this, it has informed the direction of her Tribe and government because the system they are now functioning under will be one that comes from an Agai Dicutta woman to serve the future generations of Agai Dicutta children. That in itself is the exertion of sovereignty.