Holly joined the Department of American Indian Studies in the fall of 2019 to coordinate the Tribal-State Relations Training (TSRT) program—a partnership between UMD and MnDOT that prepares state agency employees to consult with tribes on matters of mutual interest. Holly’s role expanded in 2022 to include program development and coordination of TSI trainings for tribal employees, federal employees, K-12 educators, higher education researchers, and other groups as needs arise by working with Native Nations through consultation and coordination to develop programming. As an enrolled member of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, she values tribal sovereignty both personally and professionally and is grateful to share in such meaningful work.
Holly was born and raised in Duluth and after a decade away, she returned to the lake with a family of her own. She loves spending time with relatives, traveling, hunting, kayaking, dabbling in various crafts, and snuggling her dogs.