Doreen Nanibaa (Hobson) McPaul

Doreen is of Irish and Navajo heritage. She was born and raised on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona. She is graduate of Princeton University and earned her Juris Doctorate from Arizona State University College of Law. Doreen has over 22 years of experience practicing law. Since 2008, she has served as an in-house attorney for several Arizona tribes, including her own. In 2019, Ms. McPaul was appointed to serve as the Navajo Nation Attorney General. She served in that capacity until January 2023.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ms. McPaul was tasked to serve as the Donation Branch Chief for the Navajo Nation’s Health Command Center responsible for COVID-19 response and recovery. This unique role led to her receiving the 2021 Presidential Distinguished Service Award for the Irish Abroad. She was recognized for her contribution to fundraising efforts to support the Navajo Nation, which experienced extreme hardship during the pandemic. These fundraising efforts included a hugely successful collaboration with the Irish Cultural Center that generated much needed donated supplies to assist the Navajo Nation at the peak of the pandemic. This coincided with an increased awareness of the shared history between Ireland and tribal Nations and led to a flood of Irish donations for relief efforts. The global coverage of Irish attempts to ‘pay forward’ a famine donation made by the Choctaw Nation was uplifting during a particularly challenging time.

In addition to serving on the Irish Cultural Learning Foundation Board of Trustees, Ms. McPaul volunteers her time to the State Bar of Arizona Board of Governors, the Tribal In-House Counsel Association, and the American Indian Law Center.

In 2021, Doreen was honored to be selected for the Irish Presidential Distinguished Service Award, in the Charitable Works category.

Most importantly, Ms. McPaul is a proud military spouse and mom. She is married to SFC Mark McPaul (retired) and they have three sons.