Doreen Garlid
Doreen Garlid is the Second Vice President of the National League of Cities. Vice Mayor Garlid was elected to the Tempe City Council in 2020 and re-elected in March of 2024. On July 1, 2024, at her swearing-in ceremony, her peers elected her Vice Mayor. As a member of the Navajo Nation, she made history as the first Native American elected to the Tempe City Council.
Doreen’s grand uncle was a World War II Navajo Code Talker in the U.S. Marines, and her great-grandfather was a Navajo Medicine Man. For 45 years, Doreen and her mother have offered free, educational, community presentations about Navajo culture and family life, for which she was recognized in 2020 with the City of Tempe MLK Diversity Award.
In the three decades prior to her election, she became involved in local schools, nonprofits, and service organizations. Doreen loves serving others locally and internationally. Her international service has taken her on 15 medical mission trips to 12 of the poorest countries in the world to serve over 10,000 patients.
Since joining the Council, she has been committed to improving the city’s capacity to meet the needs of residents with special attention on human services, housing, community safety and the quality of life in our neighborhoods. She was a strong advocate in the city’s efforts to restore the Park Ranger Program, creating a Tobacco License registry, raising the minimum age for purchasing tobacco products to 21, creating the Sober Living Task Force, developing the city’s Mental Health Roadmap, and achieving our city’s designation as an Age-Friendly Community by the American Association of Retired Persons.
As part of her council service, Doreen serves on many local, regional, and national boards and committees including the National League of Cities Board of Directors, the NLC’s Local Indigenous Leaders Constituency Group, and the NLC’s Advisory Committee for Local Solutions to Ending Homelessness. Locally, she is a member of the Maricopa Association of Government’s Transportation Policy Committee and is Chair of the Maricopa Association of Government’s Community Initiatives Coordinating Committee. She currently leads the Tempe Council Subcommittees on Aging and Community Engagement and Connection.
Doreen, and her husband Scott, raised their four children in Tempe and now enjoy spending time with their grandson, Beau, who lives just around the corner.