ytt Chairwoman Mona Olivas Tucker

Mona Olivas Tucker is honored to be the Tribal Chair for yak titʸu titʸu yak tiłhini Northern Chumash Tribe of San Luis Obispo County and Region (ytt Tribe).  With gratitude, she acknowledges that much of her knowledge of her culture, traditional values, and her homeland came from her father, Timothy Olivas, and her sister, LeiLynn Olivas Odom.  Mona is the great-granddaughter of Rosario Cooper who was the last known fluent speaker of the tiłhini language. She was born in the City of San Luis Obispo and has since lived continuously in the southern part of San Luis Obispo County, currently residing in rural Arroyo Grande. 

 Although her Tribe has existed for hundreds of years, she was privileged to be instrumental in the restructuring of the Tribe by obtaining Tribal SB18 Acknowledgement from the California Native American Heritage Commission, and in the formation of the Tribe 501 (c) 3 - ytt Northern Chumash Nonprofit. She has many years of experience working with City, County, State, and Federal governmental agencies in matters concerning Tribal issues. 

Mona is a member of: ytt Tribe's Diablo Canyon Lands LandBack committee, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo President's Council of Advisors Local Economic Development Committee, CalTrans Cultural Studies Subcommittee, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History California Indian Advisory Committee and is a UCSB NAGPRA Tribal representative. She is also an Associate Member of the ytt Northern Chumash Nonprofit Board of Directors and a member of League of Women Voters of San Luis Obispo County.

Mona has been married to John Tucker for 42 years, and is a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She is a retired real estate broker of 40 years and a former President of the Pismo Coast Association of Realtors.  Mona enjoys travel, history, reading, writing, gardening, working with tule rush, and spending time with her family and friends.