Savannah Romero
Eastern Shoshone
Savannah Romero
Director of Communications
Savannah is an enrolled member of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe. She has worked as a Legislative Correspondent in the U.S. House of Representatives, as a diversity, equity and inclusion, and nonprofit governance consultant in New York City. Most recently, Savannah served as the Movement Building and Organizing Manager at IllumiNative, a racial and social justice organization whose mission is to build power for Native people by amplifying contemporary Native voices, stories, and issues. Savannah holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Washington, a Master’s Degree in Public Policy and Administration from New York University, and is earning a Masters in Creative Writing at the Institute of American Indian Arts.
Savannah@tahomapeak.com
Professional Experience
Movement Building and Organizing Manager, IllumiNative
At IllumiNative, Savannah served as the Manager of Partnerships and Programs and later as the Movement Building and Organizing Manager. In this position, she oversaw strategic partnerships and funder relationships, worked with Native artists and storytellers to draft and produce actionable content including graphic designs, short films, and murals, and was integral in IllumiNative campaigns including the Washington Football team name change, the Natives Vote campaign, COVID-19 For the Love of Our People campaign, Indigenous Futures Project and more.
Consultant, Cause Strategy Partners
Savannah served as the Project Manager on the CSP consulting team for national nonprofit organizations and F500 clients. While there she managed the design and build of CSP’s new governance training program, BoardLearn.
Project Manager, National Indian Education Association
At the National Indian Education Association, Savannah served as a Project Manager. In this position, she worked directly with tribal communities, schools, and other stakeholders to develop and implement NIEA’s Teacher Initiative program, researched and analyzed K-12 education and post-secondary policy as it impacts Native students to inform policy advocacy at a federal, state, and local level and lobbied Members of Congress to advanced NIEA’s policy agenda.
Legislative Correspondent, U.S. House of Representatives
Savannah worked in the U.S. House of Representatives for a Washington State Member of Congress for over 3 years beginning as an intern and working her way up to Legislative Correspondent where she advised the member on policy matters and current events pertaining to tribal policy, tracked member's legislative activity and wrote legislative correspondence, ranging from constituent position inquires to letters addressed to administration leaders and other officials.
Education
Masters of Public Policy and Administration
Savannah has her Masters of Public Policy and Administration from New York University. At NYU, Savannah’s thesis team won the grand prize for their research report titled, ”Operating on Free Labor: A Study of Unpaid Internships in NYC Council.” While earning her master’s degree she was selected for the competitive Social Sector Leader in Diversity (SSLD) fellowship, an 18-month, cohort-based leadership development program that supports students in leveraging their skills, knowledge, and networks to influence positive change in the social sector.
University of Washington
Savannah graduated from the University of Washington – Seattle with degrees in Social Work, American Indian Studies, and Diversity. While at UW she was the Chairwoman for First Nations, the Native student organization, and was the Director of the American Indian Student Commission.
Personal
Savannah enjoys anything that involves being outside including hiking, backpacking, fishing, camping, and running. She is also a writer and poet and is in the process of writing her debut fiction novel.