Mel Carnicle

FOUNDER

Mel has built a reputation as a change agent; an active, passionate member of every community she enters. She brings a critical lens to improve every project she’s worked on, every committee she’s served on, and every community she’s stepped into - for Mel, there are no boundaries. 

Mel sees the big picture - With her interdisciplinary training as a geologist, chemist, and environmental scientist, Mel understands the interconnectedness and increases of the natural world. Currently, Mel is a graduate student at the University of Colorado - Boulder in the Masters of the Environment (MENV) program specializing in Environmental Policy. 

Mel is able to understand and conceptualize how the seemingly minuscule can have major impacts overall.  Mel’s strengths include bringing the right people together to identify and work toward solutions, hearing the unheard, and identifying solutions to obscure and complicated problems. 

Brittany Anderson

Co-FOUNDER

Hello! My name is Brittany Anderson and I am Anishinaabe from the Fond du Lac reservation in Minnesota. I was raised in a small farming community in West Central Minnesota, graduated from high school in a suburb of the Twin Cities and was the first in my family to pursue an undergraduate degree. I was awarded a Bachelor’s Degree in American Indian studies, political science & postcolonial indigenous human rights from the University of Minnesota, Morris and am honored to have forged a path for two of my sisters to do the same.

After an underprepared attempt at graduate studies, I found myself no longer learning in the classroom, but from the Twin Cities American Indian community. Playing and coaching traditional lacrosse, Anishinaabemowin language tables and traditional art and gardening were all integral to my studies in being a good community member. Armed with this community knowledge, I reentered the academy, pursuing a Master’s degree in Education with an emphasis in Youth Development and Leadership from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. My graduate research has focused on historical and contemporary qualitative evaluation of institutions and programs that serve indigenous youth.

Professionally, my career has spanned a number of capacities within educational settings serving underrepresented youth, with the bulk concentrated in higher education. My passion for working with first-generation and low-income students is rooted in my experiences in those same footsteps. Having previously served students through advising, administration, community building and engagement, and program development, I am honored to be able to bring these skills to CU-Boulder’s TRiO students and walk beside them as they achieve their own successes for themselves, their families and communities. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, listening to true crime podcasts, exploring Colorado and trying new foods.

Emily Bamford

Climate Analyst

Emily Bamford is our Climate Analyst. She has more than 10 years experience working on water and environment projects around the world, including for UNICEF, Greenpeace and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). She has a real passion for social and environmental justice issues, particularly those relating to water and climate change. In her spare time Emily also runs an education non-profit for children in Tanzania.

Emily possesses a BSc (Hons) in Natural Sciences from University of Lancaster, UK and a Masters of the Environment from the University of Colorado-Boulder, specializing in Climate Resilience and Renewable Energy.