Attorney, children’s rights advocate and humanitarian Karis Begaye has died. She was the daughter of former Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye.
According to the tribe, Karis Begaye volunteered at a young age to work with children in Panama, and later established after school programs in Arlington, Texas to help young people attend college.
As an attorney, Begaye often advocated for abused and neglected children in court and earlier this year was honored this year by the New Mexico State Bar Association for her work.
She served as chief legal counsel for the Office of the President and Vice President during her father’s tenure.
President Jonathan Nez and other Navajo leaders will present the Begaye family with a Navajo Nation flag in honor of her decades of public service.
Officials did not announce a cause of death. A private memorial service was held for Begaye Saturday. She was 45.