Board of Directors 


  • Jordan Marie Brings Three White Horses Whetstone, a member of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, is a fourth generation runner, athlete advocate, community organizer, project manager, filmmaker, founder of Rising Hearts and a mom to a 2 year old and 2 month old twin girls. Since the 2019 Boston Marathon, she uses her platform - #RunningForJustice, to help raise awareness of missing and murdered Indigenous relatives by dedicating the miles she runs to a missing or murdered Indigenous person - their families, survivors and advocates. Jordan is committed to helping make the running and community spaces a more equitable, safe, visible, supportive, diverse, inclusive, affordable and accessible place for people today and the next generations through community centered storytelling, Rising Hearts Race organizing, Running with Purpose Athlete Advocate program and Running On Native Lands programs.


  • Alicia Smith is Yupik from Pitka’s Point Village in Alaska. Alicia resides on original homelands of the Dakota and Anishinabe people in Mni Sota Makoce or Minnesota. Alicia has been a Board member and Run Team member of ReNew Earth Running (RER) for three years. What got Alicia interested in participating in RER besides the terrific people who were associated with the organization; was an increased awareness and intentional focus of whose land we are running on. And more so an opportunity to connect with other run team members and a way to uplift #LegsforLandBack. Alicia began running in 2013 after a friend and sister invited her to register for a 5k turkey trot. This run became the catalyst to register for other runs and increase the family bond amongst sisters and other family members. Since the original 5k, Alicia has ran numerous 5k’s, 10k’s and has completed a marathon and a couple of half marathons. Through RER, Alicia tries to participate in monthly runs and has been able to represent RER on other runs including Grandma’s Half Marathon and the Ely Half Marathon.


  • Charissa Miijessepe-Wilson is a member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Tribe and also belongs to the Kiikaapoa people through her father's lineage. Charissa considers herself a 'forever Rez kid' growing up on the Kickapoo Reservation in so-called Northeast Kansas and leans into this identity as a form of beauty, grace, strength, and empowerment. Introduced to running in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, this since reformed Gym Rat picked up running when she no longer had access to a gym and has been running ever since. Now, Charissa routinely runs and considers running crucial to her mental and spiritual health. She's grateful that running has become such an integral part of her life and hopes to continue growing her passion, community and love for the sport. As a ReNew Earth Running Board Member, Charissa brings over ten years' experience serving Indian Country in different capacities. Charissa is a values driven leader that emphasizes creative visioning and collective agency through culturally-informed practices. She specializes in start-up development, organizational leadership, strategic planning and partnerships, entrepreneurship, and youth mentoring and professional development. Through her own experiences as a Rez Kid she hopes to encourage Indigenous Relatives to embrace the many facets of Indigeneity that nurture growth, healing, and empowerment.

  • I was born in Mexico City and grew up in Zacatecas, Mexico (Zacateco land) with my parents Elsa and Sergio, and my brother Hector. Running has always been part of my life. Growing up I had access to natural areas in the desert where I played and learned; those experiences were the beginning of my love for trail running. I enjoy trail running, gardening, watching birds and butterflies, and identifying animal tracks. My professional background is in Biology and environmental conservation and research, and I have 25 years of experience working on both sides of the US-Mexico border. I live in O’odham & Yoeme lands (Tucson, Arizona) with my wife Jenny, our cats Lupe, Carlos, and Pancho, and Toby, the desert tortoise. In the Sonoran desert where I live, I run with the birds, the roadrunners, lizards and hawks, coyotes and cacti. I run for physical and mental health. I run to connect with people and the long-standing Indigenous running culture. Living among the Indigenous Tarahumara (Raramuri) of the Sierra Madre, I witnessed the power of running as individuals, as communities and as a culture. Since then I have developed deeper relations with Native people, with running, and with the land I run. I also run for those who are not able to run and to raise awareness and support Native causes. My running goals don’t relate to time or medals. Running for #LandBack is a fitting goal in my personal and professional life, and I’m excited to be part of this team and accomplish meaningful results for the benefit of Native communities anywhere they are. I’m ready to use my #LegsForLandBack


  • A proud Hunkpapa Lakota and passionate skier and runner, Connor Ryan was born and raised on the Arapaho, Cheyenne and Ute homelands at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. He considers these places among his biggest inspirations and closest relatives. Connor seeks to decolonize, reconnect and learn to better honor all his relations through adventure and activism. Skiing is his dance and prayer, a ceremony of its own. Lakota traditional ecological knowledge helps Connor understand the true value of the sacred land and water we ski on in deeper and more tangible ways. He has devoted his life and platform to rediscovering how traditional Indigenous culture and ecological knowledge can shape our relationship to the lands we relate to through skiing, life, and adventure. Connor has shared his stories and experiences in person and through media (films, words and photos) with universities and businesses in order to seek collective paths to a better future for all our relations.

  Staff  


  • Alexis Saenz is a queer mixed Indigenous woman originally from the Cheyenne, Ute territories, known as so called Denver, Colorado and resides in Tongva territory, known as so called Los Angeles, CA. Alexis graduated from California Institute of the Arts with her Bachelor's of Fine Arts in Dance and Choreography. Saenz has worked heavily within the Non Profit and Activism sphere working and consulting for a number of nonprofits, mostly Indigenous led. When she's not fighting for justice, you can catch her teaching dance and pilates and pursuing a career in the entertainment industry as a dancer, filmmaker and actress.