Affie Ellis (''

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

'' Burnside; born 1979/1980) is an American politician who serves in the

Wyoming Senate The Wyoming Senate is the upper house of the Wyoming State Legislature. There are 30 Senators in the Senate, representing an equal number of constituencies across Wyoming, each with a population of at least 17,000. The Senate meets at the Wyomi ...

from the 8th district as a member of the Republican Party. She is a member of the

Navajo Nation The Navajo Nation ( nv, Naabeehó Bináhásdzo), also known as Navajoland, is a Native American reservation in the United States. It occupies portions of northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and southeastern Utah; at roughly , the ...

and is the first Native American to serve in the Wyoming Senate.

Early life

Affie Burnside was born to Jim and Lenoa Burnside, both of whom were born on the

Navajo Reservation The Navajo Nation ( nv, Naabeehó Bináhásdzo), also known as Navajoland, is a Native American reservation in the United States. It occupies portions of northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and southeastern Utah; at roughly , the ...

. She married Dennis Ellis, with whom she had three children. She graduated from Jackson Hole High School. From 1996 to 2000, Ellis attended the

University of Wyoming The University of Wyoming (UW) is a public land-grant research university in Laramie, Wyoming. It was founded in March 1886, four years before the territory was admitted as the 44th state, and opened in September 1887. The University of Wyoming ...

and graduated with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

in political science and American Indian studies. From 2004 to 2007, she attended the

University of Colorado Law School The University of Colorado Law School is one of the professional graduate schools within the University of Colorado System. It is a public law school, with more than 500 students attending and working toward a Juris Doctor or Master of Studies in ...

and graduated with a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

Career

From 2000 to 2004, Ellis worked as a legislative aid to Senator

Craig L. Thomas Craig Lyle Thomas (February 17, 1933 – June 4, 2007) was an American politician who served as United States Senator from Wyoming from 1995 until his death in 2007. He was a member of the Republican Party. In the Senate, Thomas was considered ...

and was in charge of Indian, public lands, and housing issues. On January 6, 2004, Ellis was appointed to serve as Director of Congressional and Public Affairs for the National Indian Gaming Commission. In 2010, she was appointed by Senate Majority Leader

Mitch McConnell Addison Mitchell McConnell III (born February 20, 1942) is an American politician and retired attorney serving as the senior United States senator from Kentucky and the Senate minority leader since 2021. Currently in his seventh term, McConne ...

to serve on the Tribal Law and Order Commission after being recommended by Senator

John Barrasso John Anthony Barrasso III ( ; born July 21, 1952) is an American physician and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Wyoming, a seat he has held since 2007. A member of the Republican Party, he served in the Wyoming State ...

Wyoming Senate

In 2016, she ran with the

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

nomination for the

in the 8th district and defeated incumbent Democratic Senator

Floyd Esquibel Floyd A. Esquibel (born August 27, 1938) is an American politician. He is a former Democratic member of the Wyoming Senate, representing the 8th district. Biography Esquibel was born in Mora, New Mexico and attended St Mary's High School. He ea ...

. She is the first Native American and member of the

to serve in the Wyoming Senate. During Ellis' tenure in the Wyoming Senate she has served on the Revenue committee. During the 2018 Wyoming gubernatorial election she endorsed Sam Galeotos during the Republican primary.

Electoral history

References

External links

Affie Ellis
at

Ballotpedia Ballotpedia is a nonprofit and nonpartisan online political encyclopedia that covers federal, state, and local politics, elections, and public policy in the United States. The website was founded in 2007. Ballotpedia is sponsored by the Lucy Bur ...

*
Affie Ellis campaign website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellis, Affie 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century American lawyers 21st-century American women lawyers Living people Native American state legislators in Wyoming Native American women in politics Navajo leaders People from Jackson Hole, Wyoming Politicians from Cheyenne, Wyoming University of Colorado alumni University of Wyoming alumni Women state legislators in Wyoming Wyoming lawyers Republican Party Wyoming state senators Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century Native American politicians 21st-century Native American women