Shannon D. Pinto is an American politician serving as a member of the

New Mexico Senate The New Mexico Senate ( es, Senado de Nuevo México) is the upper house of the New Mexico State Legislature. The Senate consists of 42 members, with each senator representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts across the state ...

. A member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

, Pinto represents the 3rd district, which includes

Shiprock, New Mexico Shiprock ( nv, ) is a unincorporated community on the Navajo Nation, Navajo reservation in San Juan County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 7,718 people in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. For statistical purposes, the Un ...

and part of

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 ...

Early life and education

A member of

, Pinto was born and raised in

Tohatchi, New Mexico Tohatchi ( nv, ) is a census-designated place (CDP) in McKinley County, New Mexico, in the Southwestern United States. It is known as a health services and education hub along Highway 491. The population was reported to be 785 at the 2020 census. ...

. She earned an Associate's degree in Business from the

Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute (SIPI) is a public tribal land-grant community college in unincorporated Bernalillo County, New Mexico, with an Albuquerque postal address. It is federally operated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and fund ...

and a

Bachelor of Business Administration Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) is a bachelor's degree in business administration awarded by colleges and universities after completion of undergraduate study in the fundamentals of business administration and usually including advanced ...

from the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; es, Universidad de Nuevo México) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889, it is the state's flagship academic institution and the largest by enrollment, with over 25,400 ...

Career

After the death of her grandfather,

John Pinto John Pinto (December 15, 1924 – May 24, 2019) was an American politician. He served as a Democratic member of the New Mexico Senate from 1977 until his death in 2019. Early life Pinto was born in Lupton, Arizona, on the Navajo Nation ...

, Shannon was appointed by Governor

Michelle Lujan Grisham Michelle Lynn Lujan Grisham (; born October 24, 1959) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the 32nd governor of New Mexico since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, Lujan Grisham previously served as the U.S. representative for N ...

to fill his vacant seat in the

. The elder Pinto had served in the Senate from 1977 until 2019, when he died at the age of 94.Dan Boyd
Granddaughter continues longtime lawmaker's legacy
''Albuquerque Journal'' (January 26, 2020). The district, Senate District 3, is largely rural and predominantly Native American; it stretches from Gallup to

Shiprock Shiprock ( nv, , "rock with wings" or "winged rock") is a monadnock rising nearly above the high-desert plain of the Navajo Nation in San Juan County, New Mexico, San Juan County, New Mexico, United States. Its peak elevation is above sea le ...

. She took office on July 25, 2019.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pinto, Shannon Democratic Party New Mexico state senators Women state legislators in New Mexico University of New Mexico alumni Navajo leaders Year of birth missing (living people) Living people People from McKinley County, New Mexico 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century Native Americans 21st-century Native American women