Ashley is the Assistant Manager for ITEP’s Tribal Climate Change Program (TCCP), where she supports climate adaptation planning and implementation for Tribes and Indigenous people including international programming to support Indigenous neighbors. She received a dual bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies and Interior Architecture from Iowa State University, and an M.Sc. in Environmental Conservation from the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she focused on biocultural restoration, southwestern hydropolitics, and conservation management. Prior to obtaining her Master’s, her work centered on sustainability in design and the built environment, including LEED certification and green building.

Ashley previously worked with the Tribal Exchange Network Group (TXG) advocating and supporting Tribal Environmental Data and Tribal data sovereignty. She’s also worked on water policy research, advocating for improvements in the formation of a durable WOTUS definition by USACE and the EPA, for improvements in federal funding opportunities for Native-led watershed restoration projects, and for improvements in co-management opportunities for Native Nations on federal and state lands.

Her research interests include Indigenous water governance, durable river and water quality protections, socio-ecological sustainability, and environmental justice. In her free time, Ashley loves to spend time on rivers paddling and whitewater rafting.

Ashley can be reached by email at Ashley.Gries@nau.edu.

Kieren Daley Laursen is the Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Center (EJ TCTAC) Senior Coordinator. Kieren grew up in Idaho and now lives in Fort Collins, CO. He holds a Master of Public Affairs with an emphasis in Environmental Policy and Management from the University of Colorado Denver. Kieren also holds a BA in Philosophy from Colorado State University. He has experience in climate adaptation, wildlife management, sustainability, & Indigenous research ethics & is committed to creating positive change in environmental ethics & policy. Kieren spends free time working with social justice and animal rights organizations along with outdoor recreation including skiing, climbing, mountain biking, paddleboarding, and backpacking.

Kieren can be reached by email at Kieren.Daley-Laursen@nau.edu.