Geneva E.B. Thompson (President) is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, and is a staff attorney with Wishtoyo Foundation and Ventura Coastkeeper. Ms. Thompson is a graduate of the UCLA School of Law, with specializations in critical race studies and public interest law, where she served as the President of the UCLA Native American Law Students Association, clerked with the Department of Justice Indian Resource Section, the Natural Resources Defense Council, Earthjustice, and the Tribal Law and Policy Institute, participated in the National Native American Law Students Association Moot Court Competition, Vice President of the UCLA Student Bar Association, and was the Diversity and Outreach Editor of the UCLA Law Review. Ms. Thompson has published articles in the UCLA Law Review and the Indigenous Peoples Journal of Law, Culture, and Resistance.
Loretta Miranda (Vice President) is a descendant of the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, and is Associate General Counsel for the Karuk Tribe. She is graduate of Lewis and Clark Law School, where she served as Vice-President of NALSA and participated in NALSA moot court. While in law school, Ms. Miranda clerked for the Department of the Interior, the Office of the Regional Solicitor in Portland, Oregon, the Native American Rights Fund in Alaska, and for the Yurok Tribal Court. Prior to law school, she worked as the Outreach Coordinator for a Native American-owned community-based organization. Ms. Miranda was also the 2016-2017 Indian Law Fellow at Berkey Williams LLP.
Samantha Cypret (Treasurer) is an analyst in the legal department at the California Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC). Ms. Cypret is a verified member of Mountain Maidu of Taylorsville Rancheria. She has led training sessions for the Environmental Section of the State Bar California, the Sacramento County Bar Association, the California Preservation Foundation, as well as for a variety of Tribal Governments, State Agencies, and other Lead Agencies. Prior to joining the NAHC, Ms. Cypret served as the Program Coordinator for CILA. She graduated from Lincoln Law School in Sacramento, where she was a recipient of the Victor Bertolani Award for the Most Outstanding Graduate. She was also the senior editor of the Voir Dire, Lincoln Law School’s legal publication, and the Dean of the Earl Warren Senate of the Delta Theta Phi Law Fraternity. She served as a Certified Legal Intern for the Sacramento County District Attorney’s office, working in the Misdemeanor and Domestic Violence units. Prior to law school, she graduated from the University of California, Davis with Bachelor’s degrees in Communication and Political Science.
Erica Costa (formerly “McMilin”) (Secretary) is a descendant of the Sherwood Valley Band of Pomo Indians and Round Valley Indian Tribes and is an associate attorney at the law firm of Berkey Williams LLP. She is a graduate of UCLA School of Law, where she received her specialization in Critical Race Studies with an emphasis on Native American rights. At UCLA, Erica served as Vice-President of NALSA and participated in the National NALSA moot court competition. She also served as Executive Editor of the Indigenous Peoples’ Journal of Law, Culture & Resistance. While in law school, Mrs. Costa clerked for the Wishtoyo Foundation and the Yurok Tribe’s Office of the Tribal Attorney, participated in the UCLA Tribal Legal Development Clinic working for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, and worked as a part-time legal extern at the Tribal Law and Policy Institute. Prior to law school, she graduated from the University of California, Davis with a bachelor’s degrees in Native American Studies.
Cheyenne Sanders is Associate General Counsel for the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, Ms. Sanders is a member of the Yurok Tribe and descendant of the House of Tse-kwel from the Village of Weithpec. Ms. Sanders earned a J.D. with a concentration in Public Law from Cornell Law School. While in law school, Ms. Sanders served as President of Cornell’s Native American Law Students Association, participated in moot court, externed for the Northwest Justice Project’s Native American Unit in Seattle, and clerked at the National Science Foundation. Prior to law school, Ms. Sanders graduated from the University of Washington with a double major in Political Science and American Indian Studies.
John H. Haney is a member of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, and is an associate attorney at the law firm of Holland & Knight LLP in its Native American Law Group and its Labor, Employment, and Benefits Group. Mr. Haney has represented employers in a variety of matters, but is specifically interested in the intersections between state and federal labor and employment law, tribal law, and federal Indian law. Mr. Haney is a graduate of the UCLA School of Law, where he served as the President of the UCLA Native American Law Students Association, served as a student clerk for the Hualapai and Hopi Tribal Appellate Courts, and participated in the National Native American Law Students Association Moot Court Competition. Mr. Haney has published articles in various outlets such as the University of New Mexico School of Law Tribal Law Journal and the Employee Relations Law Journal.
John Miller is a recent graduate of UC Davis School of Law, King Hall. During law school, he focused his studies on environmental law and social justice. Upon graduation, John received the Public Interest and Pro Bono Law Certificates, as well as the Environmental Law Certificate. John’s primary areas of interest are Native American law, legal history, and public policy. He currently works at the UC Davis School Law as a Legal Fellow with the Aoki Center for Critical Race & Nation Studies, helping to establish the Center’s Tribal Justice Project. When he is not working, he enjoys watching his Dodgers, learning foreign languages, and practicing for his Cicerone certification.
Alexandra Mojado is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and a direct descendant of the Pala Band of Mission Indians, and is the Associate Attorney for the Hoopa Valley Tribe. She is a graduate of University of Arizona, James E. Rogers College of Law, where she served on the Native America Law Student Association and earned a certificate in Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy. While in law school, she served on the National Native American Law Student Association's executive board and interned with the Tohono O'odham Nation's Attorney General's Office and the Pascua Yaqui's Public Defender's Office. When she is not working, she enjoys playing fast pitch softball, cheering for her daughter at various sporting events, and spending time with her family in Southern California.