The Honorable Ron W. Goode is the Tribal Chairman of the North Fork Mono Tribe since 1983. He is a Veteran of the United States Army; a Life Member of the Sierra Mono Museum and of the United States Judo Federation. Ron holds a 6th degree Black Belt in Judo and still enjoys teaching. He is also a retired Community College Prof. in Ethnic Studies. Receiving his Life Credential from the State of California and National University of Fresno. Ron was inducted in the Clovis Hall of Fame for his work in Education and Community Service in 2002. In 2006 he was selected as CA Indian Education Teacher of the Year and in 2006 and 2007 Mr. Goode was nominated for the Who’s Who of America’s Teachers. In 2013 Ron was recognized by Gov. Brown for his work with the Dept. of Water Resources and co-founder of the Tribal Water Summit. In 2022 Ron was honored by the Society of California Archaeology for the Lifetime Achievement Award for his work in Cultural Preservation. At the 2023 Tribal Water Summit that Ron chaired, the State of CA Legislature honored him with a Proclamation recognizing his endeavors organizing and leadership of the 4th CA Tribal Water Summit. 

Mr. Goode is a published author, an ethnobotany book on native plants and resources: Cultural Traditions Endangered, 1992. In 2017-2018 Ron was the Coordinating Lead Author for the Tribal Indigenous Communities Climate Change Assessment as a new report of the California 4th Climate Change Assessment. Ron is also the Co-Founder of the CA State Tribal Water Summit and has chaired all three of the events and is heading up the 4th Water Summit in 2023.

Ron and his tribal archaeological team have been conducting archaeology five decades. There are now mapping their traditional homeland trails and watersheds, including adding ancient village and landscape names from the Nium language. Ron and the Tribe and tribal team partner with numerous colleges and Universities to conduct and train other Native American Monitors as well as agency archaeologist and cultural resource managers in new and advances archaeological techniques.

Mr. Goode and his tribal and ecological team, have been conducting Cultural Burns with Sequoia Park, Bass Lake Ranger District - Sierra National Forest, Cold Springs Rancheria, Private and Tribal Lands in Mariposa with the Mariposa Miwok Tribe. Ron then takes their practical work and presents it at Universities, Colleges, Seminars, Webinars, via Zoom and other Internet venues. Ron’s Journal writings and Webinar presentations have garnered worldwide attention.