CHUMASH BUSINESS COMMITTEE MEMBER MIKE LOPEZ NAMED VICE CHAIR OF CNIGA BOARD
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Veronica Sandoval
vsandoval@sychumashfoundation.org
SANTA YNEZ, CA – December 10, 2019 – Mike Lopez, a member of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians' Business Committee, has been elected vice chairman of the California Nations Indian Gaming Association's executive board, the organization announced on Friday.
Lopez, 50, was elected to CNIGA’s executive board in March as an at-large member serving Central District tribes for a two-year term. At the organization’s recent annual meeting, James Siva of the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, who had served as CNIGA’s vice chairman, was elected as its new chairman, replacing the retiring longtime Chairman Steve Stallings. Lopez was voted in to replace Siva as vice chair.
“It’s an honor and privilege to be elected vice chairman of CNIGA,” Lopez said. “As the largest regional gaming organization in the United States, CNIGA is a leading voice and forum on gaming issues, and I am proud to serve the organization.”
CNIGA, which was formed in 1988, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting tribal sovereignty and Indian gaming on federally recognized Indian lands. The organization is composed of 38 federally-recognized tribal governments, including the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. CNIGA acts as a planning and coordinating agency for legislative, policy, legal and communications efforts on behalf of its members and serves as an industry forum for information and resources.
Lopez was elected to the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians' Business Committee in 2015 after serving nearly a decade as Chairman of the Santa Ynez Gaming Commission. He is currently serving to his second two-year term on the Business Committee.
Lopez also serves as a representative for the tribe’s education board as well as a board member for the United Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Barbara County.
The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians is located in Santa Barbara County, California. Its reservation was established and officially recognized by the federal government in 1901. Today, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians remains the only federally recognized Chumash tribe in the nation.