Professor Lori Laiwa Thomas (Pomo/Huchnom/Coast Miwok) is an enrolled member of the Hopland Band of Pomo Indians. She grew up on the Point Arena side of Manchester Rancheria, attending roundhouse dances in Stewarts Point from the time she could walk, and draws her cultural grounding from both her maternal and paternal family lines. Her life and work are deeply connected to the Indigenous communities of Hopland, Point Arena, and Stewarts Point.

She began her academic journey at UC Davis shortly after graduating from Point Arena High School in 1982. After working in urban and rural Indian health programs and earning multiple certificates and degrees from Mendocino College, she returned to UC Davis to complete her BA in Native American Studies (North America emphasis) with a minor in Education in 2007. As a UC Davis McNair Scholar, she gained graduate-level research experience that prepared her for doctoral studies. She is now a doctoral candidate (ABD) at UC Davis, completing her dissertation: Stories of the Land, Stories of the People: Connections Between People and Place Through Language and Stories.

Professor Thomas began teaching at Mendocino College in Spring 2020, during the height of the pandemic, and now serves as a tenure-track full-time faculty member in the Ethnic Studies Department. Her research and teaching focus on Indigenous history, oral traditions, language revitalization, and the preservation of local stories. She is currently working on three book projects: her dissertation, her mother’s biography (Passing Like Wildfire), and an oral history of Mendocino County Indians.

Outside the classroom, Professor Thomas enjoys camping, hiking, and gathering traditional foods such as seaweed, acorns, and berries. She also loves exploring museums, libraries, and archives—often losing herself in rare collections for hours. A proud mother of two adult children (and “grand-cat” owner to Persephone), she treasures family, community, and the land that has shaped her life.