Láaganaay is from Kéexʼ Kwáan, also known as the community of Kake in southeast Alaska. She is an enrolled Tribal Citizen of the Organized Village of Kake. On her Haida side she is Eagle Tsiits Git’anee, Hummingbird. On her Lingít side she is Raven Kaach.adi, Fresh Water-marked Sockeye Salmon. Her maternal grandparents were Mona & Thomas Jackson, Sr. of Haida Gwaii/Hydaburg and Kéexʼ respectively. Her paternal grandparents were Lillian and Charles Cheney of Washington. Her parents are Della and the late William Cheney of Kéexʼ. Láaganaay’s focus is to serve her community and our diverse and dynamic Native peoples. Integrating Native knowledge and values into organizations, governance mechanisms, and everyday life is a primary passion and responsibility she has pursued through her education and career. Láaganaay received her BA (BFA Equivalency) from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, and her law degree from Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, graduating with a Juris Doctorate as well as a Certificate in Indian Law.