Briana belongs to the Tugong Clan of the CHamoru People from Guåhan and is an Indigenous leader and advocate living in the Ohio River Valley. Grounded in Inafa'Maolek—the CHamoru cultural ethos of restoring balance, making good, and nurturing relational harmony—she guides her work through an unwavering commitment to community resilience, cultural Sovereignty, and building systems that center Indigenous voices and environmental justice. Putting her philosophy into practice across executive, advisory, and community spaces, she advances relational equity and Indigenous-led transformation locally, regionally, and nationally.
An executive leader and multi-disciplinary advocate, Briana serves as Executive Director for the Urban Native Collective and is the Co-Founder of the Indigenous Field Guide, leading organizational strategy, non-profit governance, and coalition-building across the urban Native landscape. She bridges environmental policy, data Sovereignty, and regional governance with a focus on long-term ecological balance and community-led land defense & stewardship. Intersecting policy, narrative strategy, and grassroots organizing, she brings strategic oversight to institutional policy reform. Her work encompasses guiding equitable funding models, advancing Indigenous evaluation methodologies, and protecting community self-determination across Midwest & national environmental networks—including her service on the Midwest Environmental Justice Network Frontline Fund Advisory Circle and the City of Cincinnati Environmental Advisory Board.
An executive leader, athlete, and multi-disciplinary advocate, Briana integrates public discourse, story-based strategy, and physical recreation into her vision for systemic change. As a speaker, curator, and educator, she leverages arts-based advocacy and programming to reclaim public memory, center health equity, and translate complex policy into accessible frameworks that inspire collective action and shared responsibility. An accomplished athlete inducted into the North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame, she champions outdoor equity initiatives nationwide through leadership in regional conservation access organizations and corporate brand ambassadorships, building inclusive spaces for Indigenous and marginalized communities to reconnect with land and body. Mentorship and intergenerational care anchor her leadership style, investing deeply in emerging leaders, artists, and advocates across the Ohio River Valley and beyond to ensure that the relational pathways support future generations.
