Diné College provost says she was fired for being white

ALSTROM POINT, Utah

Seventeen days after taking office, Diné College President Deborah Jackson-Dennison terminated Provost Alysa Landry and wrote in the dismissal letter that she was replacing her with “a qualified Navajo individual.”

The March 19, 2026, letter states that Landry’s employment as provost ended that day as Jackson-Dennison moved to reorganize the college’s management structure. It also states that the president would select a new provost as part of that restructuring. The college announced Jan. 23 that Jackson-Dennison would officially begin her presidency on March 2.

In the letter, Jackson-Dennison wrote, “Against these PPPM authorities, I take this action to replace you with a qualified Navajo individual, again, of my choosing and who will reflect my management leadership approach.”

PPPM refers to the college’s personnel policies and procedures.

Landry said Saturday evening that she was fired without cause and received the termination letter by email from human resources. She said she had worked at the college since 2019 and had served as provost for nearly three years after first being hired as an assistant professor of English and creative writing.

“The new president had HR just email it to me,” Landry said. “So all I received was an email copy of the termination letter.”

Landry said she stepped into the provost’s role in June 2023 after the previous provost resigned. She said then President Charles M. Roessel posted the job, interviewed applicants and received a recommendation from the interview committee to hire her, but kept the search open while trying to find a qualified Navajo candidate before ultimately retaining her in the post.

“And when he couldn’t find somebody for––I think it was 15 months or so, doing the job and he hadn’t found a qualified Navajo candidate that he wanted to put me in there,” Landry said. “So I served as provost for almost three years.”

“And then this new president came in, her first day was March 2nd, and so she fired me within the first three weeks and just cited the fact that I wasn’t Navajo,” Landry said.

Landry said her main concern now is her reputation.

“Dine College policy doesn’t allow for firing without cause,” she said. “So when Dr. Dennison fired me, the community assumed it was for cause and began spreading rumors. I want Dr. Dennison to set the record straight. She fired me for being white.”

Landry said she has lived in the Navajo Nation for 19 years and has worked in different roles during that time, saying she made a deliberate choice to build her life in Diné Bikéyah, contribute to the local economy and serve Diné students and communities.

Landry said she supports Navajo preference in hiring but believes the way the termination was handled conflicted with college policy and tribal law. She said she does not object to qualified Navajo candidates being given preference.

“Which even violated the college policy, which does not allow for discrimination based on race,” Landry said. “Personally, I don’t have a problem with Navajo Preference in Employment Act. I believe that qualified Navajos should be given jobs wherever they can.”

Landry said she was in the middle of major academic work when she was removed.

“Like our accreditation argument and doing academic assessment and a whole bunch of other things that were really timely and really important,” Landry explained.

The letter does not accuse Landry of misconduct or poor performance. Instead, Jackson-Dennison cited provisions in the college’s personnel policies and procedures manual that she said give the president authority to manage and administer the college and make personnel decisions. The notice describes Landry’s removal as an involuntary separation of employment and a management-initiated dismissal.

Jackson-Dennison also directed Landry to return college property and coordinate with human resources on her transition, including her housing unit.

In the Jan. 23 announcement of her selection, the Board of Regents stated Jackson-Dennison would begin serving as president following a search process that included public forums and feedback from the college community. The announcement also noted that Jackson-Dennison is a Diné College alumna.

The college declined to answer questions about the termination. Chris Burnside, the college’s marketing and communications manager, said he could not provide a response and that the matter falls under human resources, which may not be able to address it at this time.

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