Joanie joined the VOC as the Northern Front Range Volunteer and Partnership Coordinator in October of 2024. She connects volunteers with Colorado’s natural resources and forges partnerships with various organizations in Northern Colorado. As an indigenous woman with a strong background in cultural anthropology, Joanie brings a unique and crucial perspective and understanding to the organization and their partners.
Joanie started her career at Hopi Tutskwa learning traditional methods of land management. Her next adventure was at the Learning Heritage Resource Counsil (LHRC, now known as Heritage Lands Collective) as a research associate, working with various indigenous communities and federal land managers. She then moved to the Grand Canyon Trust, where she assisted in safeguarding public lands in Utah’s national forests.