MICHAEL HUNTER - Vice-Chairman

Michael Hunter currently serves as Vice-Chairman of the Jamul Indian Village, one of the 13 tribes of the Kumeyaay Nation of Southern California. A natural leader, a skilled storyteller, and a successful entrepreneur, Mr. Hunter is passionate about guiding the tribe to self-reliance and ensuring the tribe has control of its own future.

Mr. Hunter previously served for several years as an Executive Councilmember for the Jamul Indian Village, but his interest in Tribal government goes back to his childhood, when his father, Raymond Hunter, served as the Tribe’s chairman. He fondly remembers sitting outside the old tribal hall near an even older pepper tree, listening to the older councilmembers debate and laugh, until his great-grandmother would bring him inside to eat. He credits watching his father serve as chairman as preparation for the roll he serves today.

Just as generations of his family have done, Mr. Hunter has always answered the call to serve. In addition to his duties as Vice-Chairman, Mr. Hunter serves as Executive Director of the Tribe’s Transportation Committee and as a board member on the Kumeyaay Community Collect Board of Trustees.

When not serving the Jamul Indian Village, Mr. Hunter has eight years and six harvests of experience managing and growing wine grapes on his family’s vineyard on the Rincon Reservation. Grapes from his vineyard were used in one of the Top 100 Wines named by the San Francisco Chronicle.

Mr. Hunter attended Palomar College in 2007 where he received his Associate of Arts and Certificate of Digital Video. In 2015, he graduated from Platt College, where he received his Bachelor of Science in Video Production. His passion for video production has led him to preserve cultural knowledge, storytelling and the language of San Diego’s native tribes.

Married in 2011, Mr. Hunter lives with his wife, Heather. He is passionate Padres fan and enjoys staying active through CrossFit and hiking.