Sarris is a Native American business owner, author, and scholar. He also serves as Chairman of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, a position to which he was elected multiple times.
He has published several books, including Grand Avenue (1994), an award-winning collection of short stories, which he adapted for an HBO miniseries and co-executive produced with Robert Redford.
Formerly a full professor of English at UCLA, Dr. Sarris now holds the position of Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria Endowed Chair of Sonoma State University.