40 Under Forty: Jeff L. Grubbe

Chairman, Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians

Kathy Strong 40 under Forty 2014

 

Jeff L. Grubbe
Chairman, Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians
Age: 37

 

Jeff Grubbe, at just 37 years old, is already a leader locally and nationally in his role as chairman of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians.

On any given day, Grubbe may be summoned to Washington, D.C., to meet with officials in President Obama’s administration or to a meeting with Desert AIDS Project locally. Grubbe has had the honor of greeting President Obama on all three of his arrivals in the desert, but what really stands out to Grubbe is the honor it brings to the tribe to be recognized.

“Had I known I’d be shaking the president’s hand, I might have studied political science in college instead of technology,” he says. “When I came back from college, my first job was pushing a cart for $7 an hour in the casino on the graveyard shift. I’ve even cleaned rooms at the hotel. I have so much respect for our employees.”

Even when Grubbe decided to run for a seat on the Tribal Council so that he could have quality time with his growing family that now includes three children, he never thought he would someday be the tribe’s chairman.

“Richard [Milanovich] helped me and mentored me,” Grubbe says. “Now I can share that knowledge with his son Reid.”

 

VIDEO: Jeff Grubbe is a huge Star Wars, George Lucas fan.