Chas Laila Tso (she/her/hers)
Board Chair

Yá'át'ééh, my name is Chas Laila Tso and I am an Indigenous Trans Woman from the Diné (Navajo) Tribe. My pronouns are She/Her. I am from the Towering House People clan and was born for the Bitter Water People clan. My maternal grandfathers are the Salt People, and my paternal grandfathers are the Sage Brush Hill People Clan. I am from Thoreau, N.M, on the Eastern Agency of the Navajo Nation. I reside in Albuquerque and have been active in the Trans community since 2009. I am a powerful advocate for the Native Trans community, including providing meals to the Trans community during the Holidays. I take and learn from my leaders, such as Mattee Jim, whom I call my Mother (Shi ma'), and Elton Naswood, my Great Aunt Eartha. They have helped me and guided me through my most challenging years. I am a resilient, unapologetic Native Trans person; with my fierceness, I feel it is only the beginning of great things to come and be done. Inclusion is happening but making it known needs to be consistent.

Affiliations: Native entrepreneur participant with American Indian Business Enterprise, NMSU Arrowhead Center, Human Rights Committee advocating for Community Options Inc.