April FGN Call: Sustainable Stewardship: Building Impactful Agency Relationships

Our presenter, Davina Smith-Idjesa, Co-Chair of the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition, provides her lived-experience perspective on how nonprofit organizations can engage with Tribal Nations in respectful, ethical, and effective ways.

Drawing from her work across the Four Corners region and her role navigating both Tribal and nonprofit spaces, this webinar will explore best practices for Tribal engagement, the importance of working at Tribal pace, and the responsibilities NGOs carry when engaging sovereign governments. Participants will gain practical insights into relationship-building, honoring cultural protocols, and supporting Indigenous-led stewardship of culturally significant landscapes, particularly in large, landscape-scale conservation efforts.

Davina Smith-Idjesa is a member of the Navajo Nation, originally from Monument Valley, Utah. She currently serves as Co-Chair of the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition, appointed by Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren to represent Navajo Nation perspectives. She belongs to the Ta’chii’nii (Red Running into the Water) clan and was born to the Ta’baa’ha’ (Edgewater) clan. As CEO of Haseya Native Initiatives, Davina provides culturally grounded consulting that centers Indigenous leadership, community empowerment, and landscape-scale protection across the Southwest.

Recorded April 21, 2026