Wendy Lucas is a member of yak tityu tityu yak tiłhini (ytt) Northern Chumash Tribe of San Luis Obispo Co and Region. A retired physical therapist, she obtained her Bachelor of Science degree from Cal State University Long Beach in Physical Therapy. For many years she worked in neuro-medicine, primarily with folks having sustained spinal cord injuries, strokes, and head injuries. She then earned a Master’s Degree in Public Health from UC Berkeley, with an emphasis in Maternal and Child Health. She specialized in working with pregnant women, developing and teaching a series of 5 educational classes. This approach was innovative in the early 1980’s, a time when even exercise was controversial for a pregnant woman.

When her daughters were in high school, she created a cooperative community based fight, not lawsuit based, utilizing Title IX, and successfully reestablished 9th grade girls soccer as well as initiating girls golf at San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay High Schools.

Wendy is a wife, mother and grandmother, so she takes the issues confronting humanity and the environment seriously, especially as they impact our shared legacy. She has worked locally to advocate for the greater recognition of the ytt Tribe, wrote the Proclamation for Indigenous Peoples Day which had been adopted unanimously by the City Council of San Luis Obispo in 2017, and was awarded a grant to promote greater awareness of the presence and contributions of the ytt Northern Chumash. Wendy continues to advocate for her Tribe in modern-day SLO County to help preserve, protect, and promote the wisdom of its culture.

Wendy has also edited two published books, one which has a served as a memoir for a Cal Poly professor who was grew up in the Ukraine during the Ukrainian Holocaust. She has worked in many mediums of art, but in recent years focuses on painting in watercolor. She has a wonderful supportive husband of 36 years, Bob Lucas, two daughters, two sons and four grandchildren. She is a life-long singer, participating in choral groups most of her life, as well as being on the Board of Directors of The Central Coast Children’s Choir for 10 years. Fun fact- when she turned 60, she started singing in a rock band and continues to this day.

Wendy currently serves as Vice-President of the ytt Northern Chumash Nonprofit, as well as on the Land Back Committee, “with deep commitment and responsibility towards the return of our coastal homelands, Diablo Canyon Lands, to Tribal stewardship.