Samantha Cypret (Mountain Maidu) was named the Executive Director of the Office of Tribal Relations for the CSU Chancellor's Office in December 2024 to lead efforts to foster stronger relationships and collaboration between the California State University system and Tribal Nations. Prior to this role, she served as the Chief of Staff for Wilton Rancheria from August 2023 and as the Tribal Court Director there starting in 2020. Samantha teaches Federal Indian Law at the University of the Pacific’s McGeorge School of Law.

Samantha came to Wilton Rancheria after five years at the Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC), where she served as the Investigations Manager and Special Assistant to the General Counsel. In that role, she worked with Tribes across California, as well as state and local agencies, to protect California’s Tribal cultural resources. She led training sessions for the Environmental Section of the State Bar of California, the Sacramento County Bar Association, the California Preservation Foundation, the Association of Environmental Professionals, and a variety of Tribal Governments, State Agencies, and other Lead Agencies.

Samantha received her Juris Doctorate in 2014 from Lincoln Law School in Sacramento and earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Davis. She has been a member of the California Indian Law Association since 2014, where she has served as Vice-President and Treasurer on their Board of Directors. Samantha currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Sacramento Native American Health Center (SNAHC) and the Lincoln Law School Alumni Association.