Gabriel Pietrorazio/KJZZ

Colorado River Indian Tribes Chairwoman Amelia Flores and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland pose along the banks of the Colorado River in April 2024.

More than 800 Mohave Community College students are set to graduate on Friday, May 10, and a special tribal guest has been invited to speak at their commencement. Colorado River Indian Tribes Chairwoman Amelia Flores has been named as this year’s commencement speaker at a ceremony in Bullhead City.

Flores is the first woman in the tribe’s history to lead after her election in 2020. Since then, she’s been playing a consistent and critical role, front and center, in state and federal politics.

Last month, she signed a historic agreement alongside Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs to lease a portion of its Colorado River allocation for off-reservation use. Their tribal lands touch 90 miles of shoreline along the Colorado River.