Member Education Sessions: Tribal Nations Conservation Initiatives
Native American Tribes have long held sustainable practices and traditional ecological knowledge critical to a healthy environment. At Native Americans in Philanthropy, we believe that directly investing in the people that hold this knowledge is crucial for conservation efforts. To support this work, our Tribal Nations Initiative team is working to build collaborative efforts to ensure philanthropic funds are reaching historically underserved and underfunded Tribal Nations. Our moderator, Steph Poston (Pueblo of Sandia), and philanthropic changemakers, Joel Moffett (Nez Perce), Lisa Pawlek Jaguzny, and Shawn K. Watts (Cherokee Nation) discuss the historic partnerships that exemplify how philanthropy can support the original stewards of the land now known as America.
Watch the broadcast now on NAP’s YouTube Channel and be sure to subscribe to the NAP YouTube channel for more informative and important resources on Native communities.
ABOUT OUR SPEAKERS: Joel Moffett (Nez Perce) (he/him) Director of Environmental & Special Projects, Native Americans in Philanthropy Joel Moffett currently serves as the Director of Environmental and Special Projects at Native Americans in Philanthropy. As a former Tribal leader, Joel has served as Vice Chairman of the Nez Perce Tribe Executive Committee. In 2013, he was also elected to lead the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC) as its chairman. Most recently, Joel was the Natural Resources Policy Coordinator for the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians (ATNI). Joel currently lives in Suquamish, WA with his children.
LISA PAWLEK JAGUZNY (she/her) Senior Program Director, Biodiversity Funders Group Lisa joins the Biodiversity Funders Group as Senior Program Director after a long career in leadership roles in various sectors of the conservation community. She has recently led Oxbow Farm & Conservation Center, where she transformed the 240-acre farm into a force for promoting climate-resilient practices through regenerative agriculture and environmental stewardship. Prior to Oxbow, Lisa led the Campion Foundation where she served as CEO for nearly 10 years and created the Campion Advocacy Fund, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit focused on protecting US public lands and fostering Indigenous-led campaigns to protect Alaska’s lands and waters. Lisa served as Deputy Director for People For Puget Sound for 11 years, during which time she led the campaign that resulted in the protection of more than 1,000 miles of Puget Sound shorelines. Lisa has served as a Board Member for the Western Conservation Foundation and the Biodiversity Funders Group. She holds a BA from Trinity College and an Executive MBA Certificate from Stanford University’s Center for Social Innovation.
SHAWN K. WATTS (Cherokee Nation) (he/him) Director of U.S. Strategy, The Christensen Fund Shawn’s career has focused on Native American law. He joins The Christensen Fund after most recently serving as Director of the Tribal Law & Government Center, Tribal Judicial Support Clinic, and Mediation Clinic at Kansas University. Prior to KU Law, Shawn taught at Columbia Law School in New York City where he was the Associate Director of the Mediation Program and taught an Advanced Mediation Clinic and a Native American Peacemaking Clinic. A citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, Shawn is also a district court judge for the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation.
MODERATOR: STEPHINE “STEPH” POSTON (Pueblo of Sandia) (she/her) President & CEO, Poston & Associates, LLC “Steph” was born and raised on the Sandia Pueblo Indian Reservation. She worked for her tribe for eleven years before launching Poston & Associates, a full-service communications firm. Steph’s expertise includes strategic facilitation, capacity-building training, leadership development, strategic communication, and event planning. She has worked with numerous tribes and tribal entities in New Mexico and throughout Indian Country on public relations and marketing campaigns, sacred site protection, voter empowerment, water rights, tribal policy development, economic development, education, and healthcare. She is a co-founder of Native Women Lead and is the current Chairwoman of the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts which hosts Indian Market.
