News Release
Denver Indian Family Resource Center
The Denver Indian Family Resource Center (DIFRC) Board of Directors is excited to share the selection of Tallerita Tunney Rogers (she/her/Asdzáán – Navajo/Diné) as the organization’s next Executive Director. Tallerita most recently served as Senior Director of Housing Programs with Phoenix-based Native American Connections and as the Director of Community Development with Native Americans for Community Action in Flagstaff, Arizona.
“We are pleased that Ms. Tunney-Rogers has taken on this directorship role. Her experience in social work makes her well-positioned to lead Denver Indian Family Resource Center, providing her deep knowledge of Denver Indian Family Resource Center’s work that will enable her to plan more effectively for our future,” said Denver Indian Family Resource Center Board Chair Adrianne Maddux.
Much of Tunney-Rogers’ professional work experience includes foster home licensing and adoption certification home studies, though she finds the most rewarding work in keeping Indigenous children with Indigenous communities.
On being selected for this vital leadership role, Tunney-Rogers shares, “I am honored to be selected for the responsibility of leading a very necessary organization which advocates for the wellbeing of Native children as well as Native families. The scope of wellbeing for Indigenous families and people is unlimited if we care for and take a proactive stance at protecting and advocating for our children and families. It is also all of our responsibility to do so!”
Tunney-Rogers’ professional experience is complemented by her industry and community leadership background. She has held elected positions with the Arizona Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, including as Regional Representative and most recently as Vice President of Finance. She has also held several government appointments, including seats on the Coconino County, AZ Indigenous Peoples’ Advisory Council and the local tribal government’s Community Land Use Planning Committee (CLUPC) with the Navajo Nation.
Tunney-Rogers earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Macalester College (St. Paul, Minnesota), and Masters of Social Work and Public Administration from Arizona State University. She is also a licensed Master Social Worker in the state of Arizona.
Tunney-Rogers is Diné from Grey Mountain, Arizona and is of the Many Goats clan, born for the Zuni Edgewater clan. Her maternal grandfather is of the Folded Arms clan, and her paternal grandfather is of the Bitter Water clan. She is a proud mom to three beautiful Diné children. Tallerita will join the Denver Indian Family Resource Center team May 31, 2022. For more information and updates, visit Denver Indian Family Resource Center’s website and Facebook page.
About Denver Indian Family Resource Center
Founded in response to the overrepresentation of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) families in Denver’s child welfare system, Denver Indian Family Resource Center offers culturally-competent intensive case management and Indian Child Welfare Act advocacy. As of 2022, Denver Indian Family Resource Center has successfully reunified and preserved nearly 90 percent of all American Indian and Alaska Native families receiving these services and has been instrumental in reducing the overrepresentation of American Indian and Alaska Native children entering area foster care by 162 percent.
