Melissa Ferretti

Chairwoman, Herring Pond Wampanoag Tribe

Melissa Ferretti, a four-term elected chair of the Herring Pond Wampanoag Tribe, represents the Plymouth and Bourndale communities.  As tribal chairwoman, she has championed initiatives that address challenges faced by Indigenous people:  environmental justice; the protection of sacred sites and ancestral burial grounds; the preservation and digitization of tribal archival research; substance use prevention and treatment; youth empowerment; and advocacy for tribal rights and self-determination.  Chairwoman Ferretti, a mother of two and grandmother of four, also serves as a selectwoman for the Town of Bourne. Elected in 2022 to a three-year term, she is the first Wampanoag woman in this role.