academia & policy
2019 Testimony to the U.S. House Natural Resource Subcommittee on Energy And Mineral Resources
research & policy focus
I work at the intersection of indigenous peoples, natural resource and environmental policy. I take bold and risk-informed approaches to my work.
academic training
Engineering and Public Policy, Doctorate, Carnegie Mellon University
Mechanical Engineering, Bachelor of Science, University of Kansas
International Baccalaureate Diploma, United World College of the American West
notable policy outcomes
Pew Charitable Trusts: Research on Tribal Co-Management of Federal Lands
Digital Organizing: Historic Native Voter Turnout in Arizona in the 2020 Election
Testimony to the Congress on leasing reforms spurred by “Welcome to Gwichyaa Zhee”
Tribal summits Outdoor Retailer show in partnership with the State of Colorado
Direct tribal engagement in Colorado’s Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP)
Addressing route naming within the climbing community & Federal public lands
selected journal publications
selected op-eds
We Need to Reframe Why We Do Land Acknowledgments // Outside Magazine (October 2021)
A few years ago, I was a vocal proponent of the outdoor industry incorporating Indigenous land acknowledgments as standard business practice. As it’s become more common, my perspective has evolved.
The Racist Defacing of Petroglyphs Is a Teaching Moment // Outside Magazine (May 2021)
The more we learn an incomplete fairytale of Indigenous peoples and our history in this country, the more we perpetuate acts of ethnocide, like the ones we’ve seen in recent weeks in southern Utah
The Department of the Interior Shaped My Life // Outside Magazine (March 2021)
For most Americans, the naming of a secretary of the interior is of little consequence. However, as a Navajo man, who holds this position has defined much of my life, and the recent appointing of Deb Haaland marks a groundbreaking moment.