"Diandra Benally is a leader who takes action.
The Shiprock resident has been involved with everything from American Indian health care and diabetes programs to emergency preparedness and the reform of Medicare and Medicaid.
And that's just the tip of what this 29-year-old has taken on since graduating from college.
She's also quite the attorney.
After just two years on the job at the Navajo Nation Department of Justice, Benally recently was named the Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year by the State Bar of New Mexico.
"Our board looked well beyond Albuquerque and Santa Fe to find this degree of excellence and professionalism in other areas of the state, and we are pleased to have found it on the Nation," said Joe Conte, the state bar executive director.
Benally was one of only 10 of the state's 1,600 young layers to be nominated. To qualify, a lawyer must be younger than 36 and must have practiced law for fewer than five years.
San Juan County, and especially the Navajo Nation, should be proud."
Get the Story:
Editorial: Young lawyer makes her mark as a leader
(The Farmington Daily Times 8/14)
Relevant Links:
Navajo Nation -
http://www.navajo.orgState Bar
of New Mexico -
http://www.nmbar.org
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