About me

I am a Postdoctoral Scholar in the Department of Earth System Science at Stanford University, where I study the cultural dimensions of climate and land use change in the North American West. My research examines how Indigenous nations and rural communities are impacted by changing ecosystems tied to land-use practices and climate change, and how communities are collaborating to build more resilient and equitable futures.

I received my undergraduate degree from the University of California, Davis in international relations, economics, and environmental policy analysis and planning. Before graduate school, I worked with environmental policy, land conservation, and environmental justice organizations for six years, experiences that continue to shape my commitment to community-engaged research and the challenges facing frontline communities grappling with environmental change. I received a master’s degree in forestry and environmental science from the Yale School of the Environment, a master’s degree in anthropology from the Yale Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, and a doctorate in the combined Ph.D. program in anthropology and forestry and environmental science at Yale University.

My current research focuses on collaborative forest stewardship with Tribal Nations in the Sierra Nevada and Great Basin regions of California and Nevada, where I work with community partners to understand how Indigenous knowledge and cultural values can inform more effective and just approaches to climate adaptation. I am also completing a book manuscript, Good Country: Land Stewardship and Belonging in the American West, which examines the cultural politics of environmental change through the experiences of Indigenous communities, federal land managers, and livestock ranchers.

I am based in the San Francisco Bay Area and divide my time between the forests of the Santa Cruz Mountains and Sierra Nevada.