Diné College President Dr. Charles “Monty” Roessel died Jan. 6, 2025. Photo courtesy Diné College
Diné College President Dr. Charles “Monty” Roessel died Monday morning in Albuquerque, New Mexico, after a long battle with cancer. He was 63.
“Dr. Roessel, a dedicated leader and advocate for Navajo education, will be remembered for his transformative contributions as President of Diné College,” the college said in a statement. “Under his leadership, Diné College flourished, marking an era defined by innovation, growth, and a deep dedication to empowering students and supporting nation-building.”
Since its establishment in 1968, Diné College has served its predominantly Navajo student population from its campus in Tsaile, Arizona. Roessel started as president of Diné College in 2017, taking the tribal college from a two-year institution to a four-year one.
“People didn’t just like Monty; they loved Monty,” George Hardeen said, describing Monty as gentle, easygoing, and always smiling. “He had a sense of ease about him.”
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Hardeen is the communication director for the Navajo Nation President’s Office, but he has known Roessel since 1984. Hardeen said Roessel’s father helped set up college as its first president, and it was only appropriate that as his son, Roessel also served as president of Diné College.
“He took his dad’s dream and expanded it on by turning it into a four-year school, starting new programs and launching the groundwork to create the first law school on the Navajo Nation,” Hardeen said, adding that Roessel excelled as a leader in higher education and his father would be proud just like everyone who knew him.
“Losing Monty is such a great loss, not only for Diné College or the community of Round Rock but the entirety of the Navajo Nation,” Hardeen said. “He was quiet in his own way but he left huge footprints. It will be very difficult to find a successor at Diné College for him.”
As president, Roessel established four new transdisciplinary schools: the School of Diné Studies and Education, the School of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, the School of Arts, Humanities, and English, and the School of Business and Social Science.
He also guided the college in establishing the Navajo Sovereignty Institute, the Navajo Cultural Arts Program and the Navajo Law Program.
Sen. Theresa Hatathlie, chair of the Diné College Board of Rregents, said Roessel’s leadership was transformative because he elevated student opportunities while creating pathways that connected education to the broader goals of the Navajo Nation.
“He left an indelible impact on our institution and on tribal colleges across the country,” she said, adding that Roessel embraced and understood the foundational tenets and values of Diné College.
The Navajo Nation Council and Office of the Navajo Nation President extended their condolences and prayers to the Roessel family during this difficult time.
“Dr. Roessel was a tireless advocate for tribal education and a visionary leader whose work transformed Diné College from a two-year institution to a four-year university,” Navajo Nation Speaker Crystalyne Curley said in a statement. “His leadership and dedication were pivotal in shaping educational opportunities for Navajo students, and his efforts have left an indelible mark on the future of our people.”
Navajo Nation Council Delegate Carl R. Slater is Roessel’s nephew. He said that Roessel dedicated his life to advancing the cause of the Diné people and demonstrated that through his “immense love for our leaders, no matter their background.”
Roessel was originally from Round Rock, Arizona. He held a bachelor’s in photo communication and industrial arts from the University of Northern Colorado-Greeley, a master’s in journalism from Prescott College, and a doctorate in educational administration and supervision from Arizona State University.
Throughout his life, he has worked in education at various levels, becoming a prominent figure in Indigenous education over the years. His career included time as director of community services at Rough Rock Community School in Rough Rock, Arizona in 1998, and he later became the school’s superintendent from 2007 to 2011.
At Rough Rock Community School, Roessel spearheaded the creation of a Navajo language immersion program and secured funding to construct new school facilities, including an elementary school, dormitories, and high school renovations. Rough Rock Community School was founded in 1966 by Roessel’s parents.
From 2011 to 2013, he served as the Bureau of Indian Education’s associate deputy director for Navajo schools, overseeing the operation of 66 BIE schools across the Navajo Nation.
At the end of 2013, he was appointed the director of the Bureau of Indian Education, overseeing 183 schools and two tribal colleges and universities.
“During his tenure, he spearheaded a transformative $1 billion reform initiative that prioritized tribal sovereignty, self-determination, and self-governance as essential pathways to educational advancement,” the Navajo Nation Council stated.
People didn’t just like Monty; they loved Monty.
– George Hardeen
Before Roessel’s career went into higher education, he was part of a group of Indigenous journalists launching full-time coverage of the Navajo Nation through the Navajo Times TODAY. Roessel worked alongside other Indigenous journalists like Mark Trahant, Tom Arviso Jr., Betty Reid and Paul Natonabah.
Hardeen said those were the “best days of the Navajo Times” because it was a daily newspaper with a full staff serving the Navajo Nation. Hardeen is not Native but worked alongside Roessell as the deputy managing editor at the paper.
Navajo Times TODAY was the first daily newspaper on the Navajo Nation, published five times a week in the 1980s. Roessel was the managing editor of the Navajo Times TODAY from 1985 to 1987 before former Navajo Nation Chairman Peter MacDonald Sr. shut down the paper.
Hardeen said he remembers the day the newspaper was shut down: Feb. 19, 1987. He said he got a phone call from Roessel telling him he needed to come into the office because the Navajo Nation police were chaining the doors and kicking them out.
“I didn’t believe him,” Hardeen said, but when he showed up to the office, the police only gave them enough time to take whatever was in their desk.
Hardeen said that he will never forget that date because he can’t recall anything that dramatic has ever happened for Native journalism.
The paper was able to get shut down by MacDonald because it was not independently owned like the way the Navajo Times operates today, Hardeen said. It was a tribally funded and operated newspaper.
Hardeen said they only have suspicions about why it was shut down, but the only person who knows for sure is the former chairman.
Former Navajo Times Publisher and CEO Tom Ariviso said Roessel was a great leader and did great things in his life. His relationship with Roessel goes back to when they were young gung-ho journalists, and he worked in the sports department at Navajo Times TODAY.
“We were all there working hard to provide a brand new kind of journalism, Native American journalism and I think we did,” Arviso Jr. said. “I think we were successful in bringing Native American journalism to a whole another level.”
Arviso Jr. said that the Navajo Times TODAY was a five-day-a-week publication that took a lot of work, but they were a young team printing their own newspaper.
“Monty was one of our leaders in the newsroom,” Arviso Jr. said. “I respected him for his leadership all these years.”
Roessel’s family has requested privacy during this time and any direct inquiries can be made to family friend Mark Trahant via email at trahantmark@outlook.com. Further details about funeral arrangements will be provided later.
***CORRECTION: Tom Arviso Jr.’s name has been corrected, and the story has been updated with the founding date of Rough Rock Community School.
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