Sonya Tetnowski is a Makah Tribal Member and was raised on her reservation in Neah Bay Washington. Sonya is the Chief Executive Officer of the Indian Health Center of Santa Clara Valley serving over 22,000 patients through a team of 275 employees.
She attended Concordia University in Portland, Oregon where she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management and a Master’s in Business Administration and Finance.
Sonya also served in the U. S. Army as a Special Operations Sargent and U. S. Paratrooper (Airborne). Sonya also serves as the Board President of the California Consortia of Urban Indian Health (CCUIH), and President of National Council of Urban Indian Health (NCUIH) these consortia are organizations devoted to the support and development of quality, accessible, and culturally competent health services for American Indians and Alaska Natives living in urban settings.
Sonya is a commissioner for the U.S. Department of Interior’s “Not Invisible Act Commission” (NIAC/MMIP) where she sits on two subcommittees for policy and programs as well as victim and family services (Sub-committee 2 & 5 respectively). Sonya was also appointed to the U. S. Veterans Administration’s “Tribal Advisory Commission” where she serves as the Chair of the Health Sub-Committee.
Sonya has always worked and advocated for the betterment of American Indians and Alaska Natives.