About Us

Who We Are

Illuminating a Path to Success

KOSO was built on the sole mission to provide unique, personalized and culturally relevant training and strategies for Tribal Governments, Tribal Health Centers, and Tribal enterprises. We pride ourselves on providing content, tools, training and leadership consulting all based on proven strategies and practices.  

Did You Know?
  • KOSO is the Shoshone word for fire.
  • KOSO Strategies takes an active approach in assisting with improvement efforts rather than just identifying the areas of needed improvement.
  • KOSO Strategies has assisted our clients drawdown over $100M in grants and contracts that were at risk of being deobligated.
  • Like a basket, our solutions are designed with intent and purpose.

This basket was made by Founding Director Ernest Vargas, Jr.'s grandmother. The design served as the inspiration for the KOSO Strategies logo.

Our Values

We empower our clients to build self sustaining communities.
We develop relationships of trust and respect.
We serve with integrity and humility.
We see ourselves in the people we serve.
We're invested in you.
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Meet Our People

Ernest Vargas, Jr.

Founding Director at KOSO Strategies

Armida Vargas

Founding Director at KOSO Strategies

AmyAnn Taylor

Founding Director at KOSO Strategies

Dahlton Brown

Tribal Government Consultant

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  • 2201 Francisco Dr., Suite 140-437
    El Dorado Hills, CA 95762
  • 760.258.5586
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Ernest Vargas, Jr.

Founding Director at KOSO Strategies

Ernest Vargas, Jr., is a descendant of the Panamint (KOSO) Shoshone people with over twenty-five years of experience in Indian Country, including over twenty years in executive management. Ernest has a robust background in leadership roles within Tribal Governments and Tribal Health Clinics. With a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a minor in Finance, Ernest is deeply committed to building resilient and self-sustaining Tribal Communities through tailored programs and services that strengthen families and dismantle social and economic barriers.

Armida Vargas

Founding Director at KOSO Strategies

Armida Vargas is a Human Resources and Learning and Development professional with over 15 years of experience in Tribal Governments. Ms. Vargas is a PHR and SHRM-CP certified professional in Human Resources.

While serving as the Human Resources Director and Director of Training and Development for Tribal Governments, she’s managed all Human Resources functions including policy and procedure development targeted at meeting the changing needs of the Tribe. Ms. Vargas was also instrumental to the creation and development of a Tribal on-site GED and Adult Diploma program. Ms. Vargas’ accomplishments also include development of customized employee training programs designed to improve and align employee capabilities toward the Tribe’s goals and objectives. She designed not only effective educational programs, she also facilitated partnerships within the UC system to provide college credits for the employee training programs.

Ms. Vargas earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a minor in Business Law and Public Policy from the University of Maryland University College. She also earned a Master of Arts degree in Communication Management with a concentration in Learning and Development from the University of Denver.

AmyAnn Taylor

Founding Director at KOSO Strategies

AmyAnn Taylor is an attorney specializing in Federal Indian Law and a Founding Director at KOSO Strategies LLC. Her involvement in Indian country grew from her interests at a young age in politics and government affairs.

Ms. Taylor is a Certified Fraud Examiner, a former instructor at Falmouth Institute, and was recently the Attorney General for the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians. While serving as Attorney General, Ms. Taylor was a driving force in the Tribe to organize its internal government processes and extend its relationships with all levels of government, all while preserving and exerting the Tribe’s inherent sovereignty. While Ms. Taylor was responsible for all legal affairs at the Tribe and its business entities, highlights of Ms. Taylor’s service include renegotiation of the Tribe’s Tribal-State Gaming Compact, resulting in 100’s of million of dollars in savings to the Tribe, and the development of a Tribal-State Joint Jurisdiction Court – only the second in the nation.

Previous to her role as the Attorney General, Ms. Taylor was an associate at LaPena Law Corporation – a small boutique Indian Law firm in Sacramento, California. There she worked for tribes across California focusing on developing Tribal laws, policies, court systems, constitutional reorganization, enrollment matters, cultural repatriation, and monitoring.

Ms. Taylor earned dual Bachelor’s degrees in Political Science and Communications: Public Relations from Brigham Young University and a law degree from University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law.

She currently resides in Sacramento, California and in her free time enjoys her family, serving in her local church congregation, reading, sports of all kinds, and improving on her photography skills.

Dahlton Brown

Tribal Government Consultant

Dahlton Brown joins the KOSO Strategies team with a background in tribal governance, administration, and educational leadership. Dahlton graduated from Stanford University, earning a Bachelor’s in Native American Studies with Interdisciplinary Honors in Education, and a Master’s in Policy, Organization, and Leadership Studies from the Stanford University Graduate School of Education.
After a brief stint in Higher Education Administration, Dahlton returned to his home community of Wilton Rancheria, where he served as the Executive Director of Education from 2018-2020. After a successful tenure in Education, Dahlton transitioned to serving as the Tribe’s Executive Director of Administration– a position he held until May 2024. During this time, Dahlton is proud to have led numerous initiatives aimed at serving the Tribe’s 1,000 members, including COVID relief programs, housing and wellness programs, as well as serving with the Tribe’s Gaming Commission, where he served as Chairman to support the grand opening of Sky River Casino. 
Dahlton is a proud husband and a loving father to his 1-year-old daughter. In their free time, the family frequently spends time outdoors on his family’s eighth-generation cattle ranch on the Cosumnes River.