A Chief is a lifetime position.

A Mohegan Chief is a Tribal member who, as a result of outstanding character, diplomacy, and leadership of the Tribe, has earned great veneration within the Tribe and has become preeminently qualified to represent the Tribe as its honorary Sachem.

Lynn Malerba, Lifetime Chief

Chief Mutáwi Mutáhash (Many Hearts) Lynn Malerba became the 18th Chief of the Mohegan Tribe on August 15, 2010, and is the first female Chief in the Tribe’s modern history. The position is a lifetime appointment made by the Tribe’s Council of Elders. Lynn follows in footsteps of many strong female role models in the Mohegan Tribe, including her mother, Loretta Roberge, who held the position of Tribal Nonner (elder female of respect) as well as her great-grandfather Chief Matagha (Burrill Fielding). Prior to becoming Chief, she served as Chairwoman of the Tribal Council, and served in Tribal Government as Executive Director of Health and Human Services. Preceding her work for the Mohegan Tribe, Lynn had a lengthy career as a registered nurse ultimately as the Director of Cardiology and Pulmonary Services at Lawrence & Memorial Hospital. She earned a doctor of Nursing Practice at Yale University, named a Jonas Scholar. She was awarded an honorary Doctoral degree in Science from Eastern Connecticut State University and an honorary Doctoral Degree in Humane Letters from the University of St. Joseph in West Hartford, CT. She earned a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Connecticut and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the College of St. Joseph.

She is Chairwoman of the Tribal Self-Governance Advisory Committee of the Federal Indian Health Service (IHS), a member of the Justice Department’s Tribal Nations Leadership Council, a member of the Tribal Advisory Committee for the National Institute of Health, a member of the Treasury Tribal Advisory Committee. She serves as the United South and Eastern Tribes Board of Directors Secretary.

Locally she serves as a Trustee for Chelsea Groton Bank, Board Member for the Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut, and on the Provost’s Advisory Committee Member for the Harvard University Native American Program

She published “The Effects of Sequestration on Indian Health Funding” in the Hastings Center Report, Nov-Dec. 2013 and authored two chapters in “American Indian Health and Nursing” Ed. Margaret P. Moss, Springer Publishing Company.

She lives in Niantic with her husband Paul. They are the parents of two adult daughters, Elizabeth and Angela, and grandparents of grandchildren Taylor, Connor, and Charlotte.