# Marilynn "Lynn" Malerba Mohegan Tribe Senior Fellow ![Photo of Chief Lynn Malerba](/sites/g/files/omnuum6806/files/styles/hwp_4_5__320x400/public/2026-08/Official%20Treasury%20Photo%20Lynn%20Malerba.jpg?itok=nYMBjMCx) Chief Mutáwi Mutáhash (Many Hearts) Marilynn “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 was a member of the Tribal Council that achieved Federal Recognition for the Tribe and 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 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 Humane Letters from Connecticut College, honorary Doctoral Degree in Human letters for the University of Connecticut, an honorary Doctoral degree in Law from the University of North Caroline Pembrooke an honorary Doctoral degree in Science from Eastern Connecticut State University, 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 and a diploma in nursing from Hartford Hospital School of Nursing Lynn was appointed by President Biden and served as the 45th Treasurer of the United States from 2022-2024 and was awarded the Hamilton Award by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen for her work on Tribal policy reforms and regulations within Treasury and improvements in the strengthening the integrity of U.S. currency through her work with the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Prior to her current role, she served as the United South and Eastern Tribes Board of Directors Secretary. She formerly served as 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 and a member of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Center for Indian Country Development Leadership Council. Locally she served as a Trustee for Chelsea Groton Bank, Board Chair 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 granddaughters Taylor and Charlotte and grandson Connor. As the 2026–27 Senior Fellow for Indigenous Governance and Development, Chief Malerba is documenting and sharing the leadership experience she has drawn from both roles at Mohegan and the Treasury Department. Her work examines Mohegan governance systems, with particular attention to tribal self-governance and self-determination, alongside her service at the federal level. That includes the establishment of the Treasury Department's Office of Tribal and Native Affairs and its role in administering economic recovery funds to tribal nations during the COVID-19 pandemic. - ## Person Categories [Senior Fellows](/person-categories/senior-fellows) - ## Role [Staff](/role/staff)