Tribal Liaison

TRIBAL CLIMATE RESILIENCE LIAISONS

Cynthia Naha & Anissa McKenna

The Southwest CASC's two Tribal Climate Resilience Liaisons are employed by the SW CASC and the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC). They work across the SW CASC region of California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona to connect 159 Federally Recognized Tribal Nations to tools, information, and other climate resilience resources. Cynthia is a member of the Hopi Tribe and is also Tewa and Ihanktowan Dakota (Yankton Sioux). She received her Bachelor's degree in American Indian Studies from Arizona State University. Anissa is a member of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe of Arizona and received their Master's degree in Environmental Science from the University of Arizona.

If you have questions or want to work with the SW CASC, contact Cynthia at cnaha@aihec.org, or Anissa at amckenna@aihec.org

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Cynthia Naha (1)
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AnissaMcKenna

how can CYNTHIA & ANISSA help you?

As Tribal Climate Resilience Liaisons for the SW CASC and AIHEC, Cynthia and Anissa assist Tribes, Tribal organizations, and Tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) located in the SW CASC region in addressing needs related to climate resilience and adaptation with resources available through the SW CASC.

Cynthia assists Tribes, Tribal organizations, and Tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) located across the SW CASC region.

Anissa assists Tribes, Tribal organizations, and Tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) located in the SW CASC region of AZ, CA, NV, and UT.

Created by the National Climate Adaptation Science Center, this flyer provides information about how the Tribal Climate Resilience Liaison Network works, how the liaisons support regional Tribal communities, and how to contact your regional liaison. 

Q1. What does a Tribal Climate Resilience Liaison do?

  • The role of a Tribal Climate Resilience Liaison is to help connect Tribes and Tribal Organizations with climate adaptation resources available through the regional Climate Adaptation Science Center (CASC) networks.

Q2. Can you help me with funding?

  • The SW CASC website houses a Tribal Climate Adaptation Resource list that includes funding/grant information that is updated on a regular basis. The SW CASC also periodically puts out NOFOs specific to Tribal focused research projects.

Q3. What other resources can you connect me with?

  • I can help facilitate connections to other partners in the SW CASC and AIHEC networks, help to organize meetings and workshops, assist with grant writing, and help connect you to other regional Tribal Climate Resilience Liaisons.

The Southwest Climate Adaptation Science Center (SW CASC) acknowledges that tribes, as the original stewards of the land, are at the forefront of addressing climate change when their languages, culture, and deep connections to the land remain intact. Innovative strategies, influenced by traditional knowledge, advance their actions in climate change adaptation, and the SW CASC works to collaborate, support, and partner with tribes in their efforts. The SW CASC engages with tribal stakeholders and provides funding opportunities and technical support to advance tribal communities in their climate adaptation initiatives. The SW CASC Tribal Engagement Strategy provides a vision for tribal engagement in the SW CASC region, which covers California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona.

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Map of the southwest region of the US with land acknowledgement mapping.