Kayenta Township Commission selects Jarvis Williams as the new town manager

KAYENTA – The Kayenta Township Commission selected Jarvis Williams as the new town manager on Jan. 29.

The commissioners conducted interviews over the last few months and decided to select Williams, who served as a community outreach consultant. He has over 15 years of working with tribal communities.

“Mr. Williams was selected based on his experience and knowledge of tribal government and his work with communities,” said Kayenta Township Commission Chairman Ed Seaton. “As a commission, we are confident that he is the person we need to move the organization forward.”

Williams earned a bachelor’s in southwest studies from Fort Lewis College and a Master of Legal Studies in oil, gas, and energy law from the University of Oklahoma. He has worked in the coal industry for 10 years and with tribal communities in Arizona, New Mexico, Wyoming, and Montana. Williams has worked with the 21st and 22nd Navajo Nation Council’s speaker’s office.

Former Acting Town Manager Geraldine Laughter had town manager responsibilities while the commission searched for a new town manager. Laughter is the township’s economic development specialist.

Seaton said, “We want to thank Ms. Laughter for her service as the acting town manager and providing her leadership while we searched for a new town manager.”

The Kayenta Township Commission is a 3,606-acre home rural political subdivision of the Navajo Nation in Kayenta. The commission was first established in 1985 by the Navajo Nation Council as a “pilot project” for local governance. After codification in 2003 by the Council, the commission has the broad authority and responsibility to govern for the welfare of the township and its residents, including the inherent authority to enact ordinances, rules, and regulations as it deems in the best interests of the township.

A 5-member commission oversees the Kayenta Township Commission.