Listening to Tribes and understanding Tribal priorities drives our programs and services we offer.

ITEP Faculty & Research Affiliates

The mission of the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) at Northern Arizona University (NAU) is to “strengthens tribal capacity and sovereignty in environmental and natural resource management through culturally relevant education, research, partnerships and policy-based services.” Since our inception in 1992 ITEP has formed collaborative partnerships with NAU faculty to develop programs and offer services to tribes regionally and nationwide.

Partnerships with NAU faculty in Environmental Engineering for example, have been instrumental in formulating ITEP’s air quality management training programs. This national training and technical assistance program established in the mid 90’s is the cornerstone of ITEP’s programming and has served as a model for all other programs that have developed since. More recently ITEP has been partnering with faculty in Mechanical Engineering to expand opportunities for NAU students to work with tribes on renewable energy projects.

ITEP has grown from a small staff of 3 individuals in 1992, to 25 full and part-time staff in 2015. We also employ many undergraduate and graduate students as interns or student workers throughout the year. Our programs and services include Environmental Education & Outreach; Climate Change Adaptation & Planning; Ambient Air Quality Management; Solid & Hazardous Waste Management; Environmental Information Exchange Networks; Indoor Air Quality Management; Water Resources Management; and Renewable Energy Planning and Development. With many of our programs we seek to provide tribes with policy, management and technical training and expertise.

With ITEP’s mission in mind, we seek to expand our faculty partnerships at NAU and beyond where there is mutual interest and opportunities for a collaborative partnership. To become an ITEP Faculty & Research Affiliate requires the following:

  1. Desire on the part of ITEP and interested faculty and or research staff to work collaboratively and develop programs or services for the benefit of tribes and students.

  2. Submission of a letter of interest and C.V. to ITEP by interested faculty and/or research staff.

Benefits of Becoming an ITEP Faculty & Research Affiliate:

  1. Develop culturally-respectful collaborations and community-based participatory research;

  2. Collaborate on programs and projects that benefit tribes and environmental protection;

  3. Develop research and training opportunities for NAU students;

  4. Work directly with tribes to address community and regional scale environmental issues;

  5. Network and learn how tribes are developing unique and innovative environmental programs;

  6. Attend and present at national tribal environmental conferences that ITEP develops annually

Current ITEP Faculty & Research Affiliates

Please note this is not a complete list.

Bill AuberleProfessor, RetiredWAUBERLE@msn.com
Dr. Jani IngramProfessor, NAU Chemistry & Biochemistry928-523-7877Jain.Ingram@nau.edu

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Please contact us if you would like to contribute to our endowment or for any additional information regarding donations.

Rebecca Stevens

Chair

Coeur d’Alene Tribe – Idaho

Program Manager/Restoration Coordinator
Working with the Tribe since: 2005

Rebecca is the Program Manager for the Tribe’s Natural Resources Department-Hazardous Waste Management Program. She also serves the role as the Restoration Coordinator with the Restoration Partnership. Rebecca has been working on water quality related issues for over 19 years. She represents the Tribe in the Bunker Hill Mining and Metallurgical Complex Superfund Site working with EPA while implementing their remedy for the Basin. She is also the Tribe’s Restoration Coordinator for the Restoration Partnership for which all Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) claims have been settled and on the ground restoration work has been underway since 2019. Rebecca continues to work with other Tribes on NRDA issues while coordinating with the US DOI, USDA, and the State of Idaho.

Rebecca is a proud member of the Tribal Waste and Response Steering Committee where she also serves on the Tribal Superfund Work Group and Advisory Council. Rebecca enjoys x-country skiing in the winter, summertime water sports, Frisbee golf, and spending time with her friends, family, and blue heeler. Rebecca is very honored to work for the Coeur d’Alene Tribe and is proud to be a part of restoring natural resources in the Coeur d’Alene Basin.

Rebecca can be reached by e-mail at rstevens@cdatribe-nsn.gov.

National Tribal Forum on Air Quality

The National Tribal Forum on Air Quality (NTFAQ) aims to support tribal programs by fostering information-sharing and networking opportunities that are focused on building tribal capacity in air quality management. The event’s agenda is driven by tribal input and priorities, with a focus on increasing tribal engagement in air quality initiatives that are relevant to tribal communities across the nation.