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| Affiliation | Democratic |
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2010-01-01 |
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| Name | Christopher Clark Deschene |
| Address |
Window Rock, Arizona , United States |
| Email | None |
| Website | None |
| Born |
Unknown
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| Contributor | Thomas Walker |
| Last Modifed | RBH
Feb 22, 2019 09:00pm |
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| Info | Christopher Clark Deschene was born in Southern California where his parents were relocated during the 1960’s government relocation efforts. Chris’ mother grew up in a small reservation community in Northern Arizona called Dennehotso. She was raised with strong cultural principals of family and education. Chris’ father was born and raised in the remote areas north of Tuba City, Arizona where he learned to be resourceful and creative. Both parents learned early of the value of education and hard work.
Before Chris was 1 year old, his parents left Southern California to raise their family on the Navajo Indian Reservation near Page, Arizona. There, Chris grew up to become a model straight-A student, a varsity athlete, and a National Honor Society member. Respecting his father’s wishes, Chris also learned to master the welding trade to balance his education. Because Chris worked tirelessly in high school, he obtained an appointment to the United States Naval Academy in 1989.
At the US Naval Academy
When Chris arrived at the United States Naval Academy, he began his indoctrination to professional leadership. With high military rankings, Chris was a natural leader with command positions throughout his military career. Graduating in 1993 with a BS in Mechanical Engineering and a commission as a 2nd LT., Chris volunteered to serve with the United State Marine Corps after Annapolis. But, before attending the Marine Basic School, Chris put his engineering skills to work at the National Laboratory in Livermore, California as a military research engineer.
As a US Marine
A consummate professional, Chris commanded and led from the front with the infantry and reconnaissance units during the 1990s. In 1995 and 1997, Chris served with distinction overseas with missions in the Persian Gulf, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. In 1998, Chris now a Captain, served as the Executive Officer for a Reconnaissance Company with more than 160 Marines. After leaving active duty, Chris pursued a graduate education in law and engineering in 2001. Two years later in 2003, Chris promoted to Major, USMCR, ended his career with the Marine Corps Reserves.
Graduate School
Chris went on to earn his law degree from Arizona State University in 2005 where he earned concurrently a Masters of Science Engineering in Mechanical Engineering with an emphasis in renewable and alternative energy development. While in law school, Chris served as a legal associate in the United States Senate, and for Washington DC and Phoenix law firms alike. He was elected as the President of the National Native American Law Student Association during his final year and subsequently, reorganized the national organization into a professional student lead body with continuing projects that benefit many communities locally, regionally, and nationally today.
Tribal Attorney
After graduate school, Chris co-founded the Law Office of Schaff & Clark Deschene, LLC to practice as a tribal energy attorney for tribes throughout the United States. With his law firm, Chris helps tribal communities develop much needed infrastructure and economies with their natural and energy resources. He is quite familiar with small business considerations, rural economic development, and tribal and non-tribal politics regarding business, law, and government. He now speaks nationally on tribal energy issues and helps shape nationally tribal policies that bring together tribal and non-tribal partners.
Political Career
Chris has always been a community organizer at heart. Prior to law school, Chris helped organized the Phoenix Urban Indian Summit Youth Conference in 2001 and 2002. During that same period, Chris received invaluable training to help run community organizing projects. However, Chris learned from this advocacy work that true change generally entails politics. This eventually led him to become active with the Arizona Democratic Party as the Apache County Democratic Party Chair and the Chair of the Native American Democratic Caucus. Both organizations formally organized and began operating under his tenure. Earlier this year, Chris ran and was selected to be a pledged delegate for Senator Obama to the Democratic National Convention later this summer.
In short, all his experiences have shaped his journey to this day. Because of his commitment to his communities, Chris believes that he can best serve the interests and concerns for Northern Arizonans. He believes in strong leadership that is collaborative, informative, and accountable. Chris has a rich history of service and uniting varying interests to pursue common goals. He is no stranger to challenges and difficulties, and seeks to find balance in solving issues. This means working with Democrats and Republicans, rural and urban communities, and between friends and foes. Despite all of his success and experience, Chris is most proud of his family, his wife and his son. Chris is a strong leader with a strong voice dedicated to all Northern Arizonans.
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