Court Staff and Bios

Chief Judge David McElroy has been practicing law for nearly 30 years. He received his undergraduate degree in International Relations from Tufts University, and his juris doctor from American University in Washington D.C. He has practiced in multiple areas of the law, including Federal Indian law, civil litigation, criminal law, general corporate law, and commercial law. He has worked in private practice and as in-house counsel for companies both in the United States and the United Kingdom.  Most recently he served as an Assistant District Attorney with the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Originally from Oklahoma, Judge McElroy is a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.  

Court Administrator Gail Yepa has been with the Santa Clara Pueblo Tribal Court for nearly 9 years.  In her time with the Tribal Court, she has worked as Court Clerk, Traffic Clerk, and was promoted to Court Administrator. She is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the Tribal Court and the management of its accounts. She also handles Court Clerk responsibilities such as filing, payment of traffic citations, audio recordings of proceedings, coordination with detention facilities, jury trial facilitation, and the preparation of the record for appeals from the Tribal Court. She also currently serves as the Tribal Probation Officer. She has a bachelor’s degree in business administration, majoring in accounting, from New Mexico Highlands University.  Gail is a member of Santa Clara Pueblo. 

Sarah Tafoya is coming into a new role within the Santa Clara Pueblo Administration’s Victim Service Department. Sarah has held multiple positions working for Santa Clara Pueblo over the past 20 years. She has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from Northern New Mexico College. Sarah’s passion is working with children, families and individuals; helping people in need from any and every age group and background. Sarah has worked in the arena of Early Intervention for Family Infant and Toddler Programs as a Developmental Specialist II and a Family Service Coordinator. In that dual role she gained many skills while working with children ages 0-3yrs with developmental disabilities. Sarah has also worked in Tribal Social Services for different tribes assisting with General Assistance Programs, Adult Protective Services (APS) and Child Protective Services (CPS). Sarah is an enrolled Tribal member of Santa Clara Pueblo.