SAIO 50 for 50: Stefanie Tsosie

This Week's Spotlight:  Stefanie Tsosie ('09, Sociology)

Tsosie (Diné) is a senior associate in the Tribal Partnerships Initiative at Earthjustice, a national environmental non-profit law-firm. Tsosie conceived of the Initiative as a way to gather Earthjustice’s Indian law matters into a national program that supports and elevates the voices of tribes and Indigenous communities across the country in the fight to preserve and protect their air, earth, water, and way of life. The Initiative’s work combines the practice of environmental law with the complex legal, cultural, and political issues unique to tribal and Indigenous people in North America and focuses on challenging federal laws and policies that impair or destroy the resources necessary to practice Indigenous cultures. Tsosie has litigated on behalf of several tribal and Indigenous clients, including the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe against the Dakota Access Pipeline, the Menominee Indian Tribe in Wisconsin in its advocacy against the Back Forty Mine, and the Yurok Tribe against the Bureau of Reclamation to secure flows in the Klamath River sufficient to sustain salmon health.

Tsosie serves as a board member of the Washington State Bar Association’s Indian Law Section. In addition to her Stanford degree, Tsosie earned her juris doctorate from University of New Mexico School of Law. She is also a recipient of the Honorable Pete Domenici Award for Environmental Excellence and the Mary Beth and W. Richard West, Jr. Award Recognizing Excellence in Indian Law from the University of New Mexico School of Law.  

Stefanie's Interview