Eugenia Charles-Newton

Eugenia Charles-Newton is a Diné politician and lawyer serving on the Navajo Nation Council for the Shiprock district since 2019. She is the first woman to represent the district.

Early life and education Charles-Newton was born and raised in Shiprock, New Mexico, as one of twelve children. She is Bit’ahnii, born for ‘Áshįįhi, and has additional clan affiliations with T ł ’ááshchí’í and Tábąąhá. She defeated Vernon Roy Lee with 1,588 votes to 822 to become the first woman to represent the district. Damon resigned from his role as speaker near the end of his term after personal issues surfaced on social media. Charles-Newton introduced legislation in April 2023 to remove Crystalyne Curley from her position as speaker, three months into her term. The legislation claimed that Curley had not met the expectations of the council, citing issues with communication from her office, a lack of clarity on her stance on staff conduct, and failure to address safety concerns related to sexual harassment allegations. Despite the legislation, Curley continued to serve as speaker and played a significant role in water rights discussions related to the Little Colorado River.

Personal life As of 2022, Charles-Newton lives in Shiprock, with her husband, Leroy Newton, where they maintain a farm. They have a rescue donkey.