Executive Leadership
Valentin Lopez, President
Valentin Lopez has served as Chair of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band since 2003, and the President of the Amah Mutsun Land Trust since its inception. Valentin is a Native American Advisor to the University of California, Office of the President on issues related to repatriation. He is also a Native American Advisor to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and the Phoebe Hearst Museum of Anthropology. Valentin is actively involved in efforts to restore tribal indigenous knowledge and ensure our history is accurately told.
Noelle Chambers, Executive Director
Noelle has dedicated her entire career to land protection and stewardship, and brings two decades of experience in land transactions. Noelle worked for Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) for 20 years in a variety of positions, including 5 years as Vice President of Conservation. Her tenure at POST has included the successful protection and transfer of over 30,000 acres for long-term conservation and stewardship. During her time at POST, Noelle has provided leadership and guidance to dozens of land transactions, including the acquisition of Pescadero Ranch, which is part of the greater Juristac cultural landscape. Her personal commitment to the interconnected healing of nature and people aligns closely with AMLT’s values. Over the past decade, Noelle has led POST to expand partnerships with Indigenous communities, reflecting her dedication to restoring traditional ecological knowledge and practices.
Board of Directors
Valentin Lopez, President. Chair of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band.
Julie Pineida, Treasurer. Tribal member of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band.
Ed Ketchum. Tribal member, Tribal Historian and Vice Chair for the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band.
Catherine Luna. Tribal member of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band and Tribal Elder.
Millie Bravo-Garris. Tribal Council Member of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band.
Steve Abbors. Former General Manager of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District.
Susan True. CEO of Community Foundation Santa Cruz County.
Amanda Serenyi. Nonprofit Accounting Consulting.
Guillermo Rodriguez. California State Director of Trust for Public Land.
Robert ‘Perl’ Perlmutter. Partner at Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger LLP.
Staff
Alec Apodaca. Cultural Resources Program Manager.
Ally Arganbright. Administrative Assistant.
Marie Bonillas. (Tribal Member), Accounting | OPS Tech.
Nathaniel Cruz Vasquez. (Tribal Member), Cultural Monitor.
Angelo Espinosa. (Tribal Member), Accountant/Bookkeeper.
Adam French. Special Programs Manager.
Jacob Harris. Coastal and Oceans Stewardship Program Manager.
Josh Higuera-Hood. (Tribal Member), Ethnobotany Specialist.
Jodi Litz. Director of Development.
Marion Martinez. (Tribal Member), Cultural Resources Administrator.
Mohini Narasimhan. Communications Manager.
Aylara Odekova. Native Plant Program Manager.
Esak Ordoñez. (Tribal Member), Native Steward.
Noah Orth. Native Stewardship Corps Program Manager.
Zechariah Ordoñez (Tribal Member), Native Steward.
Maura Pratt (Tribal Member), Sunlit House Specialist.
Steven Pratt. (Tribal Member), Sunlit House Maintenance Specialist.
Jacob Sackin. Grants Manager.
Research Associates
Rick Flores, M.A. Traditional Resource Management Specialist and Steward of the Amah Mutsun Relearning Program, University of California, Santa Cruz Arboretum.
Gabriel M. Sanchez, Ph.D. Historical Ecology, Archaeology, and Climate Change Program. Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, and Curator of Zooarchaeology, Museum of Natural and Cultural History, University of Oregon.
K. Michelle Glowa, Ph.D. Political Ecologist Partner with Protect Juristac and assorted research projects. Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology and Social Change California Institute of Integral Studies.