Leadership

Loretta Miranda (President) is a descendant of the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, and is 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.
Current Term: 2019-2022. Committees: Scholarship, Fundraising (Chair), Conference, CLE

Cheyenne Sanders (Vice-President) is a member of the Yurok Tribe, a descendant of the House of Tse-kwel from the Village of Weitchpec. She received her B.A. from the University of Washington and her J.D. from Cornell Law School. Following law school, she served as Deputy General Counsel for the Yurok Tribe and later as Tribal Attorney for the Morongo Band of Mission Indians. Since 2019, she serves as Associate Judge for a Washington State tribe where she presides over criminal and civil matters.
Current Term: 2018-2021. Committees: Pathway to Law, Fundraising, Conference (Chair)

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.
Current Term: 2018-2021. Committees: Pathway to Law (Chair)

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.
Current Term: 2017-2020. Committees: Conference

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.
Current Term: 2018-2021. Committees: Scholarship (Chair), Legislative & Policy, CLE

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.
Current Term: 2017-2020. Committees: CLE (Chair)

Anna Hohag is Nuumu (Paiute) and Newe (Shoshone) from Payahuunadu ("the Place of Flowing Water" -- now known as the Owens Valley region in California). She is a citizen of the Bishop Paiute Tribe and currently serves as an Associate Attorney for Fredericks Peebles and Patterson in Sacramento, CA. Previously, she served as Staff Attorney and CA ChangeLawyer Fellow for California Indian Legal Services. Ms. Hohag earned her J.D. from the University of Arizona with certificates in Indigenous Peoples Law and Police and Water Policy. During law school, she clerked for Procopio, the Tohono O'odham Legislative Counsel, and the Pascua Yaqui Prosecutor's Office. She also served on the boards of National NALSA, the Arizona Law NALSA Chapter, and CILA during law school. Prior to law school, she graduated from the University of Washington with a B.A. in American Indian Studies, served as Tribal Liaison for the Pala Band of Mission Indians, and was a Class of 2014 PLSI alumni.
Current Term: 2019-2020 (appointed to fill vacancy). Committees: Scholarship, Legislative & Policy

Michelle LaPena is a Partner at Rosette, LLP and is experienced in a wide variety of tribal legal matters including cultural resource protection, Indian child welfare, tribal taxation, tribal gaming regulation, tribal governance, the fee to trust process and real estate transactions, and general civil litigation involving tribal governments. She is extensively involved in developing statewide policy in California regarding cultural resources protection, gaming regulations, cannabis operation, and tribal taxation. Ms. LaPena received her B.A. and J.D. from the University of California, Davis. She is a member of the Pit River Tribe, and is admitted to practice in California, all federal district courts in California, the Hoopa Valley Tribal Court, and the San Manuel Tribal Court.
Current Term: 2019-2022. Committees: Pathway to Law, Legislative & Policy, Fundraising, Conference

Tamara Honrado, Six Nations Mohawk, is Associate General Counsel for the Yurok Tribe. Previous to her position with the Yurok Tribe, she was a Staff Attorney at California Indian Legal Services (CILS) with a focus on Indian law issues, in particular by representing Tribes at child custody proceedings concerning the Indian Child Welfare Act. She also worked on racial discrimination in schools, assisting individuals with Individualized Education Plans and executed Wills for clients under the American Indian Probate Reform Act. She received her Juris Doctor from Southwestern Law School’s accelerated SCALE program.
Current Term: 2019-2022. Committees: Pathway to Law