Greg Sarris

Greg Sarris has held the Graton Rancheria Endowed Chair in Creative Writing and Native American Studies in the School of Arts & Humanities at Sonoma State University since 2005; and he is currently serving his fourteenth consecutive term as Chair of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria. His tribal nation had been “terminated” in 1958, but Sarris led a successful campaign to restore federal recognition, then renew economic development. Sarris has led Graton Rancheria through the difficult process of casino and hotel development, cultivated extensive partnerships and philanthropies, and built an equitable partnership with unions for fair wage and employment standards.  He is an exemplary elected tribal leader. His career is also marked by exceptional achievement as both a credentialed scholar and writer with a body of work spanning short stories, novels, nonfiction, and scripts for both television and theater.