Ann Marie Chischilly, Esq.

Ms. Chischilly serves in a dual capacity at Northern Arizona University (NAU) in Flagstaff, Arizona. In February 2022, she was appointed Vice President for the Office of Native American Initiatives (ONAI). ONAI is tasked with advancing NAU's strategic goal, `to become the nation's leading university serving Native Americans, with initiatives focusing on Native American student retention, tribal leadership, environmental stewardship in Native communities, culturally responsive K-12 pedagogy and Native mentorship. Ms. Chischilly also continues to support the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP). For the last 11 years, she has been responsible for managing ITEP's work with Northern Arizona University, state and federal agencies, Tribes and Alaska Native villages.

In 2022, ITEP celebrates 30 years serving over 95% of all the 574 Tribes and Alaskan Native Villages nationwide. Ms. Chischilly currently serves on one federal advisory committee (FAC): 1) EPA's National Advisory Committee (NAC). Ms. Chischilly also completed her service on three FACs: 1) Department of Interior's Advisory Committee on Climate Change and Natural Resource Science (ACCCNRS) and 2) the Advisory Committee for the Sustained National Climate Assessment (ACSNCA) which transitioned to the Independent Advisory Committee for Applied Climate Assessment and 3) Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) National Drinking Water Advisory Council (NDWAC). Ms. Chischilly speaks both nationally and internationally on topics of Indian Law, Environmental Law and Justice, Climate Change, Traditional Knowledges, Water Law and Tribes/Indigenous Peoples. She works with the United Nations on issues of the Protection of Traditional Knowledge. She also co-wrote, "Guidelines for the Use of Traditional Knowledge in Climate Change Initiatives" and "Evaluating Knowledge to Support Climate Action: A Framework for Sustained Assessment". Before coming to ITEP, she served for over ten years as a water rights litigator and environmental attorney to the Gila River Indian Community (Community), where she assisted the Community in implementing the historic 'Arizona Water Settlement Act' and founded the Community's Renewable Energy Team. 

Ms. Chischilly is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation (Diné). She earned her Juris Doctorate (J.D.) degree from St. Mary's University School of Law and a Masters in Environmental Law (LL.M.) from Vermont Law School. She is licensed in Arizona and has practiced in state, district, and federal courts. She is also a member of the International Bar Association.