Keynote Speaker Chuck Sams and the Official Unveiling of the Stephen Mather Plaque

Chuck Sams teaches at Yale University, where he is Director of Indigenous Programs at the Yale Center for Environmental Justice.

This fall, Professor Sams will be among three Montgomery Fellows at Dartmouth College leading the conversation on Climate Solutions: Wishful Thinking or Hopeful Planning?

Learn more about Chuck Sams, recent recipient of the United States Navy Memorial's prestigious Lone Sailor Award, here, and read his full bio below:

Charles “Chuck” F. Sams II, a national leader in environmental stewardship, tribal sovereignty, and public service, is joining the Yale Center for Environmental Justice as its inaugural director of Indigenous Programs. Sams brings over 30 years of leadership experience to his role at the Yale Center for Environmental Justice. Most recently, he made history as the First Native American to serve as Director of the National Park Service, where he championed initiatives to expand equitable access to public lands, deepen and expand tribal co-management, and strengthen climate resilience across the country’s most treasured landscapes. 

A U.S. Navy veteran, Sams served honorably as an intelligence specialist, laying the groundwork for a foundation of leadership and strategic insight that has informed his work across multiple sectors. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a focus on Management, Communications, and Leadership from Concordia University and a Master of Legal Studies in Indigenous Peoples Law from the University of Oklahoma College of Law. Chuck holds several personal and professional honors, including the U.S. President’s Service Medal for work in the Environmental Field from the Points of Light Foundation, the Walter T. Cox Award from Clemson University’s Institute for Parks, and honorary doctorates in Humane Letters from Portland State University and Whitman College.

An enrolled member of the Cayuse and Walla Walla of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Sams has long worked to advance tribal sovereignty, natural resource management, education, and cultural revitalization. His deep commitment to environmental justice and community-driven governance reflects the core mission of YCEJ: to work alongside frontline communities to build a just and sustainable future.