Tanya Lewis is Chairwoman of the Yavapai-Apache Nation (YAN) located in Camp Verde, Arizona in the heart of the Verde Valley. She is the daughter of the late Eathel and Lyman Lewis. Lewis is a graduate of Mingus Union High School in nearby Cottonwood and earned an Associates Degree in Business Management and a Leadership Certificate from Yavapai College where she graduated with honors.

Prior to being elected Chairwoman, Lewis served as YAN’s Vice Chairwoman from 2019-2022. She also served as a Tribal Council Member from 2010-2013, an Executive Assistant to two chairpersons and a member of YAN’s Election Board, Land & Water Committee and Pageant Committee. Lewis has extensive experience in Tribal Government Human Resources and The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). In addition to her work in government, Lewis also spent a decade in gaming where she worked her way up from the front line in slots to marketing manager. She participated in the first cohort of the American Indian Policy Institute’s Indigenous Leadership Academy through Arizona State University.

Lewis enjoys volunteering with youth and elders, as well as participating in YAN’s cultural activities. She says to be a good community leader, it is important to be authentic and involved, remain passionate about important issues, and listen to elders while also being a visionary. When she is not working or volunteering, Lewis enjoys spending time with her family, either at Apache sunrise dances or at rodeos where her family and children compete in team roping and barrel racing and kickboxing at the gym.