Stephanie Hicks

 is the Director of Philanthropy for the Yurok Tribal Fund, where she builds long-term partnerships to support the Yurok Tribe’s vision for sovereignty, cultural strength, and the restoration of balance within its community.

An enrolled member of the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe and part of the Toi Ticutta (“Cattail Eaters”) people, Stephanie is a descendant of Wovoka (Paiute)and carries deep Shoshone roots on her paternal side (her grandmother is 100% Shoshone and turns 100 years old this year! Her identity and lived experience ground her commitment to strengthening Indigenous-led solutions and tribal self-determination.

Stephanie brings a career defined by both range and consistency, with experience across federal government, nonprofit fundraising, event-based philanthropy, and tribal economic development. She built more than 15 years working in federal acquisitions, contracting and procurement, managing large-scale infrastructure and public service projects with the Bureau of Indian Affairs (Western Regional Office), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Kansas City and Seattle District Offices), and the Department of Veterans Affairs (Palo Alto Health Care System). This work gave her firsthand insight into how complex funding systems operate, and where they often fall short.

She later brought all that experience into tribal government settings, supporting economic development efforts with the Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians and strengthening coordination between tribal leadership and external partners.

Today, Stephanie applies this cross-sector experience to one of the most pressing challenges facing tribal communities: funding instability. The Yurok Tribe operates more than 35 active programs serving its people, and her work focuses on securing sustained, reliable investment to ensure these programs can continue, grow, and respond to community needs over time.

She works closely with partners to help them understand that meaningful support requires more than one-time funding. Strong partnerships are built on long-term commitment aligned with tribal priorities.