Maria Givens

COEUR D’ALENE

Maria Givens is an enrolled member of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe in northern Idaho and cofounder of Tahoma Peak Solutions.

Maria has worked in the US Senate, for the National Congress of American Indians and for the Native American Agriculture Fund. She has a master's degree in sustainable food systems from the University of Colorado Boulder and a bachelor's degree in political science and American Indian studies from the University of Washington.

Contact Maria at Maria@tahomapeak.com

Communications Director, Native American Agriculture Fund

At the Native American Agriculture Fund, Maria served as Communications Director. In this position, she built the built the communications structure of the largest private charitable trust serving Indian Country. While at NAAF, Maria also co authored Reimagining Native Food Economies.

Policy Analyst, NCAI

Prior to pursuing her Master's degree in Colorado, Maria was a tribal policy advocate in Washington, D.C. She worked for the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) as a policy analyst and managed the agriculture, telecommunications and cultural protections portfolio for the country's largest Native American advocacy organization. At NCAI, Maria was the organization's lead for the Native Farm Bill Coalition that secured 63 tribal provisions in the 2018 Farm Bill. In addition, she helped secure the retirement of the Chief Wahoo logo from Cleveland's Major League Baseball team. 

Legislative Fellow, US Senate

From 2015-2016, Maria served in US Senator Jeff Merkley's Washington, D.C. office as the selected Hatfield Fellow. In Senator Merkley's Office, Maria worked on many different legislative efforts to build tribal housing for Columbia River tribes to bring people back to the river, and their salmon fishing way of life. In the Senate, Maria secured language in the 2016 Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act igniting her passion for food sovereignty work that brought tribal people closer to their food source through federal policy. 

Education 

Masters of Environment specializing in Sustainable Food Systems, University of Colorado

Maria has her Masters of the Environment from the University of Colorado with a specialization in Sustainable Food Systems. At the University of Colorado, Maria won the Leeds School of Business "Sustainable Shark Tank" and was selected by her peers as the student speaker for the commencement ceremony. 

University of Washington
Maria graduated from the University of Washington- Seattle in 2013 with degrees in Political Science and American Indian Studies. She received the Director's Award from the UW Ethnic Cultural Center in 2013 for her work on the UW Spring Powwow. 

Personal 

Maria enjoys picking huckleberries with her family in Idaho, fishing, cooking and preparing traditional foods. In her free time, Maria enjoys yoga, basketball, running, hiking and camping.

Maria’s Tahoma Peak Solutions Projects

Projects
American Rivers Inclusivity Consulting
American Rivers Inclusivity Consulting
USDA Regional Food Business Centers
USDA Regional Food Business Centers
Facilitating The Alliance for Indigenous Environmental Stewards Summit
Facilitating The Alliance for Indigenous Environmental Stewards Summit
Celebrating Tradition & Empowering Futures
Celebrating Tradition & Empowering Futures
Seasonal Wisdom Through A Native Lens
Seasonal Wisdom Through A Native Lens
Muckleshoot Language Videos
Muckleshoot Language Videos
The Nature Conservancy-Decolonizing Conservation
The Nature Conservancy-Decolonizing Conservation
Native American Finance Officers Association (NAFOA)
Native American Finance Officers Association (NAFOA)
Newman’s Own Foundation- Telling the Story of Native Youth Food Justice
Newman’s Own Foundation- Telling the Story of Native Youth Food Justice
The Catena Foundation
The Catena Foundation
Newman’s Own Foundation- Strategic Giving
Newman’s Own Foundation- Strategic Giving
Feed Seven Generations Web Design
Feed Seven Generations Web Design
The Wilderness Society
The Wilderness Society
Washington State Department of Agriculture
Washington State Department of Agriculture

Maria’s News & Writing

Featured
The Battle to Break Through: Reclaiming Indigenous Narratives
The Battle to Break Through: Reclaiming Indigenous Narratives

Maria Givens, along with four other Indigenous leaders, explore the importance of visibility and how these leaders work to break through to create more opportunities for Indigenous people. Featured alongside Maria are Bobby Wilson, Mark Trahant, and Aliyah Chavez.

Watch the full discussion here.

Valerie Segrest and Maria Givens speak about the history of Native Food Systems on Mazon panel
Valerie Segrest and Maria Givens speak about the history of Native Food Systems on Mazon panel

Valerie Segrest and Maria Givens speak on a panel for Mazon’s Insider Briefing Series.

Maria Givens on Native America Calling about Renaming Racist Places
Maria Givens on Native America Calling about Renaming Racist Places

TPS Cofounder Maria Givens was a guest on Native America Calling to discuss her work with the Wilderness Society to rename racist places. Listen to the episode here.

TPS celebrates “A Guide to Changing Racist and Offensive Place Names” Release
TPS celebrates “A Guide to Changing Racist and Offensive Place Names” Release

The Wilderness Society hired Tahoma Peak Solutions to ensure the report accurately captured Indigenous perspectives and connects to land and places.

Maria Givens presents at City of Portland Tribal Nations Summit
Maria Givens presents at City of Portland Tribal Nations Summit

TPS cofounder and partner Maria Givens presented at the City of Portland’s Tribal Nations Summit on changing the narrative for Indigenous Peoples. In this training for the staff for the City of Portland, Maria was a featured keynote speaker as well as leading a break out session on technical writing.

Maria Givens publishes piece on working with Tribal Communities
Maria Givens publishes piece on working with Tribal Communities

These simple steps will allow for meaningful, long-lasting relationships that are mutually beneficial for uplifting the needs of Indian Country. Focusing on supporting Indigenous-led efforts can make sure that everyone can thrive.

Maria Givens publishes piece in Vox on Native Mascots
Maria Givens publishes piece in Vox on Native Mascots

The discussion becomes not about what we see — we all see a red cartoon character in a baseball cap — it is about how we see. I see Wahoo as a caricature of who society wants me to be — stuck in the past and almost extinct — ignoring who I really am: an educated Native American woman, proud of the people I come from, living in 2021.