TWIN ARROWS, Ariz. — Twin Arrows hotel manager Cariel Gorman stays close to family through a rewarding career with Navajo Gaming where she impressed the human resources team and moved from a front office clerk to hotel manager.

Gorman was born in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Her name is derived from a combination of her mother’s name, Caroline-Car and her father’s name, Nathaniel-iel. She returned “home” to Lok’aah niteel at age three after her father finished his deployment in Desert Storm.

She is Ta’neeszahnii (Tangle Clan) born for Tsi’naajinii (Black Streaked Wood People Clan). Her maternal grandparent Totsohnii (Big Water Clan) and paternal grandparent Kinyaa’aanii (Towering House Clan).

One of her first jobs serving her community was as a volunteer firefighter in Ganado. After graduating from Ganado High School, she entered Northern Arizona University, changed her area of study a number of times and finally decided she wanted to be a police officer and eventually a criminal investigator.

During the course of studies in Criminal Justice and Indigenous studies Gorman said she took a class that reviewed cases of wrongful convictions. She felt it was very interesting researching cases to prove innocence.

In her Indigenous studies, she took classes regarding Environmental Protection on Indian Nations. In addition to taking the normal criminal justice courses, she took a class regarding Indian Gaming not knowing she would eventually work for Navajo Gaming.

Her mother encouraged her to stay close to home and suggested she apply for a job with Navajo Nation Gaming and work for the new Twin Arrow Casino Resort.

“I applied for two positions. One in security (of course her area of study in criminal justice, perfect) and the other was a recommendation as a hotel front office clerk,” she said.

Impressed with her beautiful smile she shared during her first interview for the security position, the human resources team suggested she also apply for the second position in the resort. After being considered for both positions the human resources personnel encouraged her to start with the hotel front office clerk because of her excellent customer service skills.

Gorman accepted and has been employed with Twin Arrows even before they opened in 2013.

Throughout her employment with Twin Arrows Casino Resort she’s attended numerous skill enhancement training sessions. She distinctly remembers Rapport Training, which had a big impact on her leadership abilities. She said this training literally broke her down and built her up and was focused on getting participants out of their shells.

“You would write your fears and goals on a piece of wood and break it. One side of the board you would list fears blocking your leadership skills and the other side of the wooded block had a list of what you would gain when you broke the fear,” Gorman said.

Her fear was a fear of making mistakes, but now she carries the education she gained to her staff members, and shared the message of, ‘It is OK to make mistakes as long as you learn from these mistakes and make situations better.’

“I enjoy my employment at Twin Arrows Casino Resort with the idea that I can literally change a person’s day with a simple greeting and a smile. How you treat people who might be having a bad day as they walk into our establishment makes a big difference on how you are treated.” Gorman said.

Gorman said in her free time she enjoyed spending quality time with her son.

In October 2018, Gorman was appointed as the secretary for Native Partnership for Housing (NPH), a non-profit organization. Gorman felt this was an excellent way to give back to her Navajo people.

NPH serves the housing and homeownership in both remote and urban areas to provide affordable homes. She also loves playing video games and has been playing video games since her junior high days. In addition, Gorman is a musician who enjoys playing an acoustic guitar and piano.

“What sets her apart from the rest is her willingness to learn, openness to feedback and change. Cariel has that can-do attitude. She is always positive, a self-starter that finds alternative solutions on an issue, said Katherine Davis, director of Hotel Operations. “She has a great rapport with team members. Her potential is endless to do even greater things. We are excited to see her future growth within the company. She is a great asset to the organization and the enterprise.”

Information provided by Navajo Nation Gaming Enterprise