Tribal Government

Tribal Leadership

The California Valley Miwok Tribe is governed by an elected Tribal Council composed of three officers: a Chairperson, a Vice Chairperson, and a Secretary-Treasurer.

Silvia Burley — Chairperson
Silvia Burley has served as Chairperson of the California Valley Miwok Tribe since 1999. She earned an Associate of Arts degree from D-Q University, a Native American college that operated in Davis, California, and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Tribal Governance from The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. As Chairperson, she provides leadership to the Tribe, sets the agenda for regular and special Tribal Council meetings, and presides over those meetings to ensure that all relevant matters are discussed and that decisions are made and carried out. She also serves as the official spokesperson for the Tribe, representing the California Valley Miwok Tribe at meetings, events, and ceremonies.

Anjelica Paulk — Vice Chairperson
Anjelica Paulk has served as Vice Chairperson of the California Valley Miwok Tribe since 2001. In this role, she assumes the Chairperson’s responsibilities whenever the Chairperson is unavailable, leading Tribal Council meetings and annual assemblies in the Chairperson’s absence. She serves as a confidential advisor on difficult decisions, oversees special projects and duties delegated by the Chairperson, and would assume the office of Chairperson should that position become vacant. She is also the designer of the Tribe’s official seal and has maintained the Tribe’s official website since 2001.

Rashel Reznor — Secretary-Treasurer
Rashel Reznor has served as Secretary-Treasurer of the California Valley Miwok Tribe since 1999, a role that combines financial management, recordkeeping, and administration. She attended D-Q University in Davis, California. As Secretary-Treasurer, she prepares the Tribe’s budgets and financial summaries for the Tribal Council’s monthly meetings, records and maintains the minutes of regular and special Tribal Council meetings, and safeguards official documents. She manages the Tribe’s bank accounts: receiving and depositing funds, paying approved debts and expenses, and presenting regular financial updates to the Tribal Council. She also issues notices and schedules for upcoming meetings.

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Government Structure

The California Valley Miwok Tribe is a customary and traditional tribe, governing itself according to its own customs and traditions. The Tribe operates under a resolution form of government. Rather than adopting a written constitution, the Tribe organized under a governing resolution, and the Tribal Council conducts the business of the Tribe through resolutions. Each matter presented to the Tribal Council is considered, voted upon, and, when approved, formally adopted as a resolution.

The Tribe maintains a General Council, which elects the Tribal Council’s officers to six-year terms. The next election of officers will be held in May 2029. The Tribal Council holds its regular monthly meetings at 6:00 p.m. on the third Friday of each month.

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Departments and Representatives

Cultural Arts and Crafts & Traditional Language Retention

Mildred Burley — Tribal Elder, Certified Indian Artisan
Mildred Burley, a Tribal Elder and Certified Indian Artisan, serves as a cultural arts and language preservationist for the California Valley Miwok Tribe. She teaches traditional Miwok crafts, including beaded necklaces and pine-needle basket weaving, and she participates in Miwok ceremonies and local events. As a preservationist of the Miwok language, she works to prevent its extinction by recording and teaching the histories, stories, and culture of the Miwok people.

Daveen Williams — Cultural Arts and Crafts Coordinator
Daveen Williams serves as the Tribe’s Cultural Arts and Crafts Coordinator and a language preservationist. She teaches Miwok beadwork and pine-needle basket weaving, and she participates in Miwok ceremonies and local events. She helps preserve the Miwok language by studying it under Tribal Elder Mildred Burley and sharing that knowledge with others in the community.

Economic Development

Tiger Paulk — Economic Development Consultant & Senior Advisor to the Tribal Council
Tiger Paulk serves as the Tribe’s Economic Development Consultant and a Senior Advisor to the Tribal Council. He develops the Tribe’s short- and long-term economic development plans and works to attract and retain businesses. He directs, coordinates, and manages the Tribe’s economic development activities, advising and reporting to the Tribal Council.

Emergency Management

Tiger Paulk — Emergency Manager
Tiger Paulk also serves as the Tribe’s Emergency Manager. He prepares plans for natural disasters and other emergencies and manages the Tribe’s crisis response, coordinating with public and private agencies including police, fire, and medical services, as well as government bodies such as FEMA. During a crisis, he oversees emergency operations—directing actions such as evacuations and shelter openings—and he leads disaster drills and training programs for Tribal staff, volunteers, employees, and members.

Tribal Enrollment Services

Tribal Enrollment Services manages enrollment inquiries, recordkeeping, and applications for the California Valley Miwok Tribe. Enrollment is administered by the Tribal Council. (Contact: office@cvmt.net)

Financial Management

The Tribe’s Financial Management function leads its fiscal strategy, financial planning, and accounting operations, including budgeting, forecasting, and ensuring regulatory compliance in the Tribe’s financial decisions. Financial Management is administered by the Tribal Council. (Contact: office@cvmt.net)

Health and Human Services

Rashel Reznor — ICWA Coordinator
Rashel Reznor serves as the Tribe’s Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) Coordinator, planning, directing, and leading the program. The Health and Human Services function provides oversight of tribal health, mental health, and substance-use services, as well as adult and child protective services. (Contact: office@cvmt.net; see also the Federal Register Designated ICWA Agent Listing, December 2014)

Website and Social Media

Anjelica Paulk — IT Director
Anjelica Paulk serves as the Tribe’s IT Director, managing the Tribe’s technology department and aligning its IT strategy with the Tribe’s goals. She evaluates emerging tools, assesses the Tribe’s technology needs, and oversees its hardware, software, networks, web hosting, websites, and help-desk support. She also ensures data protection, enforces security protocols, and maintains regular monitoring of the Tribe’s websites.

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Legal Representation

Peebles Bergin Schulte & Robinson LLP
Peebles Bergin Schulte & Robinson LLP serves as legal counsel to the California Valley Miwok Tribe and handles the Tribe’s legal matters. The firm’s main office is located at 2020 L Street, Suite 250, Sacramento, CA 95811, and can be reached by phone at (916) 441-2700 or by fax at (916) 441-2067, and online at ndnlaw.com.