Diana "Dede" Yazzie Devine is an Arizona-based nonprofit professional. She led the nonprofit Native American Connections for over forty years.
Biography
Devine was born in Lansing, Michigan. As a child, she moved frequently due to her father, Dan Devine's, career as a football coach.[1][2] She was the middle of seven children.[1]
Devine attended the University of Wisconsin, where she interned on the Ojibwe reservation. She lived and worked there for five years, during which time the Indian-Self Determination Act was enacted. Witnessing the changes that the act gave Devine an understanding of tribal sovereignty and government.[1]
As a part of her work, Devine traveled multiple times to Arizona. In 1979, Devine was introduced to a new residential treatment facility, Indian Rehabilitation. She agreed to help it until a leader could be hired.[3] Under Devine's leadership, Indian Rehabilitation transformed into the nonprofit Native American Connections.[1] As the organization's president and CEO, she greatly grew the organization to support Phoenix's homeless population.[1][4] She was also active in the founding of the Native American Community Service Center and other services like housing programs. One of the housing communities is named after Devine.[1]
Under Devine's leadership, Native American Connections developed 1,000 affordable Phoenix residences and opened twenty-three Valley projects to provide aid and social services. Greg Stanton noted that "No one has changed as many minds about affordable housing ... in Arizona."[5]
Devine was also influential in transforming the Phoenix Indian School Visitor Center. This former American Indian boarding school became a place for Native Americans from many tribes to come together.[5]
To support her work, Devine earned her MBA from Arizona State University in 1999.[1][6] She attended the school while running the Native American Connections.[6]