Chairperson Sherry Treppa
Sherry Treppa is the former Chairperson of the Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake, a federally recognized Indian Nation in Upper Lake, California, serving as an elected official from 2004-2024, and as the Chairperson since 2008.
Treppa is the president of Habemco, the Tribe’s wholly owned shared services business. She also serves as ambassador to the Tribe allowing her to continue her outreach and advocacy work on behalf of the Tribe and its interests. While tasked with preserving the Tribe’s Pomo culture, Treppa continues to lead efforts striving for economic self-reliance through e-commerce, gaming, and other economic opportunities within the Tribe’s jurisdiction.
As an experienced tribal leader committed to Native American interests and the mission of economic growth, Treppa is often called upon to testify at legislative hearings for a variety of issues impacting Indian Country.
In 2024, Treppa was appointed Co-Chair of the National Congress of American Indians’ (NCAI) Technology Task Force as well as Board Member of the American Indian Policy Institute (AIPI), a college-level unit within Arizona State University‘s (ASU) Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. Notably, through collaboration between NCAI and ASU, AIPI launched the Center for Tribal Digital Sovereignty in June 2024.
She was awarded the 2021 Tribal Chairperson of the Year by Native American Finance Officers Association (NAFOA), a respected national tribal organization focused on growing tribal economies and strengthening tribal finance.
Congressman Mike Thompson (CA-4) named Treppa Lake County’s 2023 Woman of the Year recognizing her contributions not only to her Tribe but to the county and surrounding community.
In 2019 Treppa and her Tribe co-produced “Saving the Sacred” a short documentary nominated for an Emmy on development of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with other local Sovereign Tribal Governments and the County of Lake for protection of sacred sites and artifacts. This work earned the California State Governor’s Historic Preservation Award in 2016.
Prior to her role with the Tribe, Treppa worked in private industry for 18 years. She was born in Lake County and graduated with a Bachelor of Science from the University of San Francisco. Treppa’s ongoing efforts have contributed to the process of restoring the Tribe’s land base. She has spearheaded funding negotiations and refinancing for the Tribe’s current gaming ventures. She played a vital role in overseeing the construction of the Tribe’s Casino and represented the Tribe in raising capital, structuring and development of the Tribe’s e-commerce and biofuel businesses.