Cecilia Gobin - dzahdzah’lahk- is a member of the Tulalip Tribes, from in Tulalip, Washington. She is an experienced Policy Analyst, currently working with the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission (NWIFC). In her role, she focuses on the protection and advancement of tribal treaty rights and resources, particularly related to the protection of habitat, salmon and salmon recovery, marine mammals, and other natural resources upon which tribal treaty rights depend. She also serves as the tribal representative on the Northwest Straits Commission.
Before her position with the NWIFC, Cecilia worked on cultural resources issues for the Tulalip Tribes and at the tribes’ Hibulb Cultural Center. Previous to this, she also gained valuable experience working for the U.S. House of Representatives' House Natural Resources Committee's Office of Indian Affairs, where she dealt with policy and legislation related to natural resources and the effects for tribes in Indian Country.
Cecilia earned bachelor's degrees in American Indian Studies, focusing on Federal Indian Law and Policy, and Anthropology from the University of Washington. In addition to her policy work, Cecilia is also a lifetime commercial fisher and having been born and raised in Tulalip, remains deeply connected to her community and tribal traditional lifeways and culture.
Her deep connection to her tribal heritage and her commitment to the protection of tribal treaty rights and tribal sovereignty and the environment of the Pacific Northwest continue to drive her work and her involvement in several important initiatives for tribes in the Pacific Northwest, and across Indian Country.