CILS Board of Trustees—Who Are They?

By Dorothy Alther, Executive Director

Federal law and regulation dictate who is eligible to be a CILS Board of Trustees member. The Legal Service Corporation (LSC), CILS’s largest funding provider, is bound by these regulations and ensures that legal service programs it funds follow the rules. The LSC regulations do not restrict the number of Board of Trustees CILS can have, but rather define the percentage of the various groups that must be represented on the Board.

LSC regulations provide that 60% of recipients governing be attorneys, one-third of the Board must be persons who are client eligible, and the remainder of the Board members may be appointed or selected by the Board but must make the Board, as a whole, reasonably reflective of the diversity of the areas served by the recipient.

Pictured from left to right are our Principle Office Staff and Board Members: Executive Director Dorothy Alther, Board Member Joe Ayala, Board Member Merri Lopez-Keifer, Board Member Sheila Quinlan, Board Chairman Mark Romero, Board Member Robert Gonzalez, Board Member Gabe Cayton, Board Member Victorio Shaw, Director of Administration Patricia De La Cruz-Lynas, and Director of Marketing and Development Nicole Scott.

CILS’ has eleven (11) Board members falling within these required categories. CILS divides the state into two (2) equal regions: the north and the south. Community representatives on the Board are recruited from each area. To be eligible for an appointment to the CILS Board as a community representative, an individual must be California Indian. California Indian tribes and organizations make recommendations for the appointment of community representative. A recommendation can come from: federally recognized Indian tribes, terminated Indian tribes, unrecognized Indian tribes, Indian associations, organizations, and groups. The individual must be a resident of California and reside in the geographic area they will represent (see below which region the applicant can represent).

Northern California Counties include: Alameda, Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Contra Costa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Madera, Marin, Mariposa, Mendocino, Merced, Modoc, Mono, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Tuolumne, Yolo, and Yuba.

Southern California Counties include: Fresno, Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Los Angeles, Monterey, Orange, Riverside, San Benito, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Tulare, and Ventura.

Board members are expected to attend four (4) quarterly Board meetings each year; at a minimum of three (3) via teleconference and one (1) in-person meeting (in-person attendance for all meetings is encouraged), attend at least one (1) CILS sponsored event per year, participate on 1-2 Board committees, contribute an average of 1-2 hours per month between quarterly meetings, attend Board development retreats and training, participate in annual strategic planning sessions and fundraising efforts, make a personally significant financial contribution each year (100% participation from the board is expected), and actively contribute their expertise to the Board’s important role in CILS’ organizational and programmatic affair, including recruiting new Board members and community relations.

How to Apply:  All applications are comprised of:  1) a letter of interest and 2) a resume from the individual.  In their letter of interest, applicants should describe not only their interest in serving on the CILS Board but also specific skills, experience, or areas of expertise they would bring to the Board.  Applicants should indicate the name of the California Indian tribe, organization, or group that would support their application.  Before appointment, a formal resolution, support letter, or similar action from the recommending organization or tribe must be submitted.  Applications can be submitted directly to boardapplications@calindian.org.

CILS Board and Staff Retreat

California Indian Legal Services held our Board and Staff Retreat at the new Sycuan Casino Resort on December 6th and 7th. It was a fantastic weekend of strategic planning for CILS with the Board and Staff. Looking at what the next five years of Federal Indian Law will bring and reflecting on all the excellent work that has been done. Sycuan Casino Resort generously hosted it in their beautiful new facility. Tribal support is essential to CILS and contributes to our success. Thank you, Sycuan!

Pictured from left to right are our Principle Office Staff and Board Members: Executive Director Dorothy Alther, Board Member Joe Ayala, Board Member Merri Lopez-Keifer, Board Member Sheila Quinlan, Board Chairman Mark Romero, Board Member Robert Gonzalez, Board Member Gabe Cayton, Board Member Victorio Shaw, Director of Administration Patricia De La Cruz-Lynas, and Director of Marketing and Development Nicole Scott.

Pictured from left to right are our Principle Office Staff and Board Members: Executive Director Dorothy Alther, Board Member Joe Ayala, Board Member Merri Lopez-Keifer, Board Member Sheila Quinlan, Board Chairman Mark Romero, Board Member Robert Gonzalez, Board Member Gabe Cayton, Board Member Victorio Shaw, Director of Administration Patricia De La Cruz-Lynas, and Director of Marketing and Development Nicole Scott.

 

CILS BOARD OF TRUSTEE ELECTS A NEW CHAIRPERSON AND VICE CHAIRPERSON

Escondido, CA – December 8, 2015: The CILS Board of Trustees, elected Mark Romero, a member and past Chairman of the Mesa Grande Band of Mission Indians, as its new Chairman and Victorio Shaw, a member of the Hoopa Valley Tribe and currently the California Tribal College Project Strategist for Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation as its new Vice Chairman.

“We are pleased and honored to have Mark’s and Victorio’s continued leadership and support on the CILS Board,” said Dorothy Alther, Executive Director of CILS. “The dedication and commitment of such prominent members of California Indian Country enable CILS to continue to serve all California Indian communities.”

The Board also seated two new Board members, Joe Ayala and Jessica Warner. Mr. Ayala is the Principal Deputy Legislative Counsel for the State of California, and comes to the Board as a State Bar representative. Ms. Warne, Principal of the Law Offices of Jessica Warne and former CILS law clerk, takes her seat as a community representative.

The members of the Board of Trustees play an integral role in ensuring the long-term sustainability and growth of CILS. For a full Board of Trustees list and additional information about CILS, visit www.calindian.org.

About CILS:
California Indian Legal Services is one of the oldest non-profit law firms in the country and largest in California that is devoted exclusively to the causes of Native American rights. CILS maintains four offices statewide and has been in operation for 48 years. CILS represents California Tribes, tribal organizations, and low-income individuals on matters of Indian law. For more information, please visit www.calindian.org.

Rachel Joseph 2012

CILS Board of Trustees 2012

The new year begins with a new CILS Board Chair.  Rachel A. Joseph, was seated as the Chair on September 3, 2011.

Ms. Joseph is an enrolled member of the Lone Pine Paiute Shoshone Tribe and served as the Tribe’s Chairwoman and Vice-Chairwoman.

Rachel is a retired lobbyist of the California Teachers Association; and, other employment included, American Indian Coordinator in the Office of the Governor; Executive Director for the California Urban Indian Health Council; Director of the Inter-Tribal Council of California Manpower Consortium (now California Indian Manpower Consortium); Director of Program Operations for the Inter-Tribal Council of California; and, Interim Executive Director of the National Congress of American Indians.  Rachel has had numerous political appointments including the Utah Governor’s Commission on the Status of Women.

Rachel has received numerous awards and recognition which include the Civil Rights in Education Award (Leo Reano) from the National Education Association; Role Model (Women’s History Month) from the California State Legislature, the Jake White Crow Award from the National Indian Health Board and, in 2009, the Native American Leadership Award from the National Congress of American Indians.

Rachel graduated from Brigham Young University (BYU) with a B.S. in Social Work and a minor in Psychology; and did extensive graduate study at BYU and in the College of Business at the University of Utah.  Rachel is the mother of a daughter and three sons; and, nine terrific grandchildren.