Dr. Vangee Nez

Northern Arizona Regional Representative

Current Role/Institution

Vangee is currently an Assistant Professor in the College of Education, Department of Educational Specialties’ Bilingual Multicultural Education (BME) Program at the Northern Arizona University—Mountain Campus in Flagstaff, AZ. Dr. Nez teaches BME courses to undergraduates and graduate students to support multicultural education.

Professional Background

Dr. Nez is a tribal member of the Navajo Nation. Her clans are Tachiinii, Ta’neeszahnii, Naakaii Dine’e, and Bit’ahni. She has been dedicated to supporting Native America language programs in the Navajo Nation and training Navajo language and culture teachers for certification in Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah and collaborated with schools serving Navajo students to continue and develop teaching strategies for the Navajo language proficiency. At NAU, her research explores the theoretical and Philosophical Foundations of Navajo Epistemology and Navajo Knowledge of Sa’ah Naaghai Bik’eh Hozhoon (SNBH) framework for cultural knowledge, storytelling, and culturally responsive teaching. Dr. Nez serves on several committees along with the annual American Indian Indigenous Teacher Education Conference (AIITEC) to support Native education and language efforts, and the Navajo Nation Teacher Education Consortium (NNTEC) to recruit Navajo students to become teachers in Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah.

Areas of Expertise / Interests

  • Bilingual/Multilingual Education
  • Certification for Native American Language and Cultural teachers
  • Culturally Responsive Teaching in Indigenous Communities
  • Indigenous curriculum design
  • Multicultural Education
  • Navajo Philosophy and Epistemology framework
  • Professional development and learning for Indigenous Educators
  • Structured English Immersion
  • Standards development for the Navajo Nation

AZTESOL Involvement

As an AZTESOL regional representative for the Northern AZ, Dr. Nez is committed to adding Indigenous perspective for multilingual and multicultural learners to reach proficiency and become knowledgeable of their histories. She aims to connect with tribal nations in Northern AZ to include their voices. Dr. Nez would like to become familiar with Arizona policies and contribute to statewide initiatives for Native American Language programs and Native American teachers’ certification for teaching their tribal languages in the local community. She would like to serve on the Arizona English Language Proficiency Standards Committee in support of Native American initiatives and provide
Indigenous perspective on policies and assessments.