WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. – Reycita Toddy has seen it all in the world of Navajo human resources.
She comes close to having held every job in the Navajo Nation Division of Human Resources in her 30 years on the job. She’s held roles in personnel management, recruiting, employee relations and as the acting human resources.
Now she’s in a job she hasn’t had before. Last week, on July 8, she was appointed division director by Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren.
“We have so much work to do,” said President Buu Nygren. “When we work together, we can make historic changes. I believe that Ms. Toddy is the right person who can begin to make those changes in our division of human resources. Right now, we have a high unemployment rate across the Navajo Nation and over 1,000 job vacancies at the Navajo Nation. This is unacceptable. We need to put our people to work.”
Toddy, who is Tewa and originally from Polacca, Ariz., brings decades of institutional knowledge about the Navajo Nation and human resources experience to the job. Her clans are Tewa Corn Clan, born for the Tewa Bear Clan.
Her appointment will require her to implement President Nygren’s executive order to fast track the hiring process to fill the estimated 1,500 tribal job vacancies.
“Our vacancies fluctuate from day to day,” Toddy said. “We may hire 50 people and the same number are retiring or resigning. Right now, there are jobs people can apply for.”
One important change resulted from President Nygren’s 2023 executive order to fill vacancies. Rather than having to submit complete packets of credentials, transcripts, and certifications for each job an applicant wants to apply for, one is now sufficient and is available online for staff to evaluate.
She said most important is to increase the number of staff in her division and the Division of Public Safety that is needed to conduct background checks for each new job applicant.
The high number of tribal job vacancies has been attributed to that roadblock, requiring as much as three to six months to have the checks completed. By that time, many applicants have moved on to jobs elsewhere.
“My job is to make things happen,” Toddy said.
That will be possible, she added because President Nygren’s administration is aware of the problem and has assure her it will work to allocate more resources and support to the division, especially now since she has submitted her budget for the next fiscal year.
Toddy said one of her concerns is that some tribal employees must travel as far as Shiprock, Tuba City and Albuquerque for their jobs here in the tribal capital.
Because of that, she will advocate on behalf of the President’s priority to build more affordable housing and tribal housing for employees’ convenience, safety, happiness and financial security – the foundation of human resources.
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