Navajo vice president video conferences from Washington

John Christian Hopkins
Diné Bureau

WINDOW ROCK— Navajo Nation Vice President Ben Shelly met with the Government Services Committee last week — even though he was 2,000 miles away.

Using new state-of-the-art video conferencing equipment, Shelly took part in the GSC meeting from the conference room at the Navajo Nation’s Washington Office on Capitol Hill.

“Mr. Vice President, thank you for joining us,” GSC Chairman Ervin M. Keeswood Sr. said.

The GSC was discussing the proposed Fiscal Year 2008 tribal budget.

Shelly was in Washington representing the Navajo Nation at a Tribal Technical Advisory Group meeting.

The video conference meeting lasted for about 15 minutes, as the vice president affirmed his proposed budget.

“I thought that the conference went rather well,” Keeswood said. “It took a little while to get connected, but once that happened all went well.”

The video conference system is an investment of the Navajo Nation government that will be used more frequently with the Office of the President, the Washington Office, the Council, and the 110 chapter communities, according to Deswood Tome of the Washington office.

It will enable the president, vice president, and other officials to attend special events, community functions, and chapter meetings, he added.

“The reception was very clear, and it seems that we, as a committee, can do business in the future through video, which should limit travel,” Keeswood said. “It’s the new Navajo wave, as we use technology to advance government-to-government communication.”

The system is part of President Joe Shirley Jr.’s initiative to bring more distance learning education to remote Navajo communities.