Board & Staff

Staff

The Organization Office is located in Tekoa, WA.

PO Box 527 

Tekoa, WA 99033

510-284-7042

Executive Director - Bobbi Anne Barnowsky

Bobbi Anne Barnowsky is the Executive Director for the Tribal Solid Waste Advisory Network and a 4th-grade teacher for the Coeur d’Alene Tribal School. Ms. Barnowsky has worked for TSWAN since 2013 in various roles.  Her extensive experience working with tribal nations, to include Alaskan Native Tribes, has led to the development and enhancements of tribal environmental programs focused on environmental stewardship, local capacity & capabilities building, and community outreach education. 

Her strong commitment in support of tribal environmental programs’ growth led to the fostering of extensive business and professional relationships between tribal nations and external partners. She has created environmental plan templates, policy and procedural manuals, written successful federal grants, and both coordinated and provided training within TSWAN to facilitate and expand on the capabilities of tribal programs. She has been an avid advocate for tribes and believes in networking between all partners can foster stronger relationships, shared resources, and mutual support. TSWAN continues to develope the roadmap and tools to help tribal nations reach their environmental program management goals. 

Bobbi Anne Barnosky  formerly worked for the Alutiiq Tribe of Old Harbor as their Tribal Administrator overseeing all facets of tribal operations that included financial, programmatic, staffing and training, community outreach education, and multiple federal and local grants for the successful growth of the tribal programs .  She has served as one of Alaska’s Region X Tribal Operations Committee Representatives for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), serving as a voice for native tribes throughout Region 10. As the former Old Harbor Environmental Director, she led her community to be a model class III Landfill and instituted an Air Quality Program and Tribal Emergency Response Team that increased community health & safety, while maintaining a skilled team prepared to respond to major emergencies and environmental and natural disasters.  She also served two years as an AmeriCorps RAVEN member working with youth and community members in Old Harbor. She is focused on increasing volunteering and fostering youth involvement through environmental awareness and projects so as to create an engaged future workforce for the community.   

Ms. Barnowsky holds  Master’s degrees from the University of Alaska Southeast and San Jose State University.   Ms. Barnowsky was awarded the Alaska Forum on the Environment Environmental Excellence Award and led her community to receive the Alaska Tribal Environmental Management Community Environmental Excellence Award.  She was also awarded the State of Alaska's 1st Lady’s Volunteer of the Year Award for her commitment to helping tribal nations and partner communities become stronger, heathier, and more resilient.  Ms. Barnowsky uses her academic knowledge and environmental experience to write tribal grants for new and innovative ideas to meet the needs of tribal nations and to help empower tribal programs financially to safeguard the future of all tribal people. 

Please feel free to reach out to Ms. Bobbi Anne Barnowsky if you’re interested in hearing about how TSWAN’s programs can benefit your tribe and community.

bbarnowsky@tswan.org