Dr. Vincent Werito is originally from Na’neelzhiin (Torreon, New Mexico), a rural Navajo community southwest of Cuba, New Mexico. Currently, he lives and resides here in Albuquerque, NM.

Dr. Werito began his college career at New Mexico State University (NMSU). After several years at NMSU, he moved to Durango, Colorado to attend Fort Lewis College. In December 1997, he received his first bachelor’s degrees from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado in Southwest Studies.

After receiving his first Bachelor’s degree in Southwest Studies, Dr. Werito moved home and started teaching. For several years, Dr. Werito worked at two schools in his community, Ojo Encino and Pueblo Pintado schools, while working on getting his teaching certification through a Ford Foundation Teacher Grant program through Fort Lewis college. In June 2000, Dr. Werito obtained another bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education with an emphasis in Bicultural Studies from Fort Lewis College.

In August 2000, Dr. Werito received a teaching license in the State of New Mexico. Also, upon completion of his undergraduate degrees and teacher certification, Dr. Werito moved to Albuquerque to begin a Master’s program in the Department of Language, Literacy and Sociocultural Studies (LLSS) in the Fall of 2000. During this time, he has worked as a Navajo language teacher and a substitute teacher in the Albuquerque Public Schools (APS). In December 2002, Dr. Werito received his Master’s degree in Secondary Education at the University of New Mexico. From 2004 to 2010, Dr. Werito worked as a Resource Teacher providing alternative language services to culturally and linguistically diverse students. Dr Werito also began his Ph.D program in LLSS in Fall of 2002. Dr. Werito was hired in December 2010 as a tenure-track faculty member of the American Indian Education program in the Department of Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies (LLSS.)

Dr. Vincent Werito is currently an Assistant Professor in the College of Education at the University of New Mexico in the Department of Language, Literacy, and Socio-cultural Studies. His concentration areas are in American Indian (Indigenous) Education and Bilingual Education. His primary research interests are in the following educational areas: teacher education; Indigenous pedagogy; Dine (Navajo) Education; Navajo Language language/cultural revitalization; Indigenous Nation building and cultural sustainability.