In 2008, Emily was finishing her M.S. in Environmental Science and about to start a Ph.D. program in Environmental Sociology, while working as a rangeland ecologist on tribal lands in Montana and New Mexico. One year later, Emily met Chris at a Desert Tortoise Council Symposium. Ten years after that, she started working for Ironwood. Today, she is a Principal of Ironwood. Her education and hands-on experience have taught her that successful natural resource management requires understanding ecological, social, and economic interdependence. For common good and common purpose, Emily facilitates civil and productive conversations about the importance of project impact mitigation and habitat restoration. She sees thoughtful project planning and resource conservation as two sides of the same coin.

Using her multi-disciplinary background in rangeland and wetland ecology, regulatory permitting, and social science/public participation, Emily forges socioeconomic and environmental justice ideals into a workable plan through the planning and permitting processes. During her downtime, she can be found in the mountains skiing, running, or paddle boarding with her dog Iris.