Elton is of the Near to the Water People Clan, born for the Edge Water People Clan, his maternal grandfather’s clan is of the Mexican People, his paternal grandfather’s clan is of the Tangle People, this is how he is Navajo, Dine. He is originally from Whitehorse Lake, New Mexico, and grew up in Window Rock, Arizona on the Navajo Reservation. He currently resides in Maryland.
Mr. Naswood is a Senior Program Analyst, Capacity Building Division at the Office of Minority Health Resource Center, a nationwide service of the Office of Minority Health. He previously was a Capacity Building Assistance Specialist at the National Native American AIDS Prevention Center (NNAAPC) and was formally the Founder and Program Coordinator for the Red Circle Project, AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA).
He is currently a member of the Community Expert Advisory Council for the Indigenous HIV/AIDS Research Training (IHART) program at the University of Washington and the US Representative Leader for the International Indigenous Working Group on HIV/AIDS (IIWGHA).
Mr. Naswood received his Bachelors of Arts Degree in Sociology and American Indian Justice Studies from Arizona State University and attended the Graduate degree program in American Indian Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles.