OUR VISION
That the Navajo Nation and Hopi develop real economies rooted in preserving essential cultural traditions and values.
OUR GOALS
Positive economic growth in Navajo and Hopi communities.
Measurable economic growth in a food-centric economy as the nation's first medicine.
Growth of impactful Navajo and Hopi businesses so that they strengthen their community economies.
Growth in skills and leadership potential among community members so they grasp options to become impactful in their communities.
OUR APPROACH
We begin by engaging tribal members and their interest in supporting development. We collaborate with organizations and individuals that do innovative work with students and community members. We support growing businesses that provide access to needed products and services. We engage non-profits and governments that contribute to building sustainable elements that support the community infrastructure.
OUR BOARD
Emergence Group is committed to investing our expertise and resources in order to further achieve our goals. We bring over 35 years of business and community development knowledge to our collaborations. Since 2019, we have been supporting our community members and measuring our success by the effectiveness of our efforts.
Susan Becker
Susan Becker is acting Board Chair and a founding member of Emergence Group.
She is retired from a three- tiered career as a large school district STEM education director, a public policy researcher at Butler University and as a business/community development professional. In ten years as a business consultant with the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce, she designed and developed programming for business and strategies for community economic development. She has been working for 10 years on the Navajo Nation with various Navajo led non-profits and with a Kellogg Foundation grant supporting innovations that apply 21st century technology beginning in K-12 schools.
Her passion is seeing Navajo/Native entrepreneurs grow and succeed and Navajo communities strengthen.
Juan Massey
Juan Massey is an international business and government relations consultant in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. He graduated from law school in Monterrey Mexico, where he grew up as an American expat and holds a Master of Laws degree (LLM) and a Financial Services Compliance certificate from the Boston University School of Law. Juan also worked as a Principal for the McCabe CPA & Consulting Group, LLC giving advice to corporate clients in the areas of policy, international corporate compliance and government relations. Throughout the course of his career Juan has led economic development and international trade programs for state and tribal governments and in the private sector, including agribusiness. He is a founding board member of the Border Industrial Association and serves as a special advisor to the Richardson Center for Global Engagement in negotiating the release of political prisoners and hostages in foreign countries. Juan is married to Terrelene Massey, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation Tribe and has two daughters, Nizhoni and Trinity who are also tribal members. When Juan isn’t working, he enjoys hiking with his family and their two rescue dogs, enjoying New Mexico’s stunning outdoors scenery.
Daniel Vandever
An award-winning Diné author and entrepreneur from Haystack, NM. He is the CEO of South of Sunrise Creative, a strategic communications firm that helps advance education initiatives through community-based solutions.
Vandever is a product of Small Wonders Day Care where his experiences as a Ninja Turtle helped shape the creativity behind his debut picture book, Fall in Line, Holden!, a 2018 Honor Book for the American Indian Youth Literature Award. His follow up picture book, Herizon (2021), was self-published and was recognized as the Best Picture Book of 2022 by the American Indian Library Association.
Vandever received his undergraduate degree in Strategic Communications from the University of Missouri and a Master’s degree in Community and Regional Planning from the University of New Mexico. Vandever is the grandson of the late Joe Vandever Sr., Navajo Code Talker, USMC, and Bessie D. Vandever.
Nadine Paisano
Nadina Paisano (Dine) is an experienced accountant with nearly two decades serving tribal governments, tribal enterprises and non-profits entities as an auditor and with financial management. She currently serves as a Managing Director of Finance for a non-profit organization in Albuquerque, NM, and is primarily responsible for budget planning, designing and implementing internal controls and procedures, and filing the annual audit and tax return.
She is passionate about helping organizations succeed by focusing on effective and efficient financial and business management policies and practices. Nadina earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Northern Arizona University and a Master of Science in Business Administration from Arizona State University, a post-graduate certificate in Data Science and Business Analytics and is a licensed CPA in the State of New Mexico. Aside from a busy career, Nadina loves traveling with her family especially for outdoor adventures, and enjoys cheering on her favorite sport teams and players.