Cheri L. Thomas
LANAIC Chair
Supervisor Holly Mitchell Appointed Commissioner
Quinault & Yurok
Cheri L. Thomas is an enrolled member of the Quinault Indian Nation and also of Yurok descent. Chair Thomas was community-elected to the Commission in 2002 and is a Principal Administrative Analyst at the Los Angeles Unified School District.
As a member of the Commission, she has presented at the World Indigenous People’s Conference on Education (Australia 2022, New Zealand 2005), Harvard University, Haskell Indian Nations University and the California Department of Education. Every March she returns to Washington State to participate in Quinault Nation General Council meetings.
Her main areas of interest are education, organizational change and climate issues.As an American Red Cross volunteer Chair Thomas has been deployed to New York for September 11 efforts; Houston with Hurricane Katrina evacuees; and 2019 Ridgecrest earthquake relief. She has also volunteered locally for President George H. W. Bush, Vice President Dan Quayle, Special Olympics World Games, Super Bowl 56, and the 9th Summit of the Americas.
She also enjoys being a member of philanthropic community organization Epsilon Sigma Alpha. Cheri has traveled to Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Africa, Europe and South America and written a book about her travels over the years.
Last modified: October 4, 2022