Senior Associate
She/her
Areas of Expertise
Policy Research & Analysis; Water Law & Policy; Environmental Justice
About Heather
Heather brings a range of environmental policy research and analysis experience to Hua Nani Partners. She is passionate about pursuing policy work that focuses on the intersections of social equity and the environment to ensure a just climate transition. At Hua Nani, Heather provides policy research, analysis, and writing support for client projects related to state and federal policy strategy & implementation. Heather also leads Hua Nani’s social media and communications work.
Prior to joining Hua Nani, Heather worked both professionally and academically in the environmental policy field, with a specific focus on urban and rural water issues. As a graduate student, Heather developed and executed a research project investigating the policy barriers to in-home water access for renters in Detroit, Michigan. At this time, she also worked on a project evaluating state flood mitigation policy with the University of Michigan and the Great Lakes Integrated Sciences and Assessments where she helped develop a framework for analyzing state policies and resources for local governments. Heather has also worked at the Lincoln Institute’s Babbitt Center for Land and Water Policy where she helped evaluate community integration of land-use planning with water resource planning in the Colorado River Basin.
Heather holds an MS from the University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability with specializations in Environmental Policy and Environmental Justice. During her time as a graduate student, Heather was a part of the Water and Climate Policy Lab and served as the Communications Chair for her program’s student government. Heather also holds a BA in Political Science, Environmental Studies, and Philosophy from the University of Arizona where she graduated summa cum laude with honors.
Heather is originally from Tucson, Arizona, and currently lives in Chicago, Illinois. In her free time, Heather enjoys baking, reading, dancing, and photography.