Caring for our Relatives: Tribal Emergency Management Webinar
April 1 @ 11:00 am - 12:30 pm
Free

Join us for a webinar on Tribal Emergency Management. Together, we’ll explore how Native nations strengthen preparedness and coordinate effective responses during severe weather events. Featuring speakers from a variety of roles in Tribal emergency management, the conversation will offer insight for Native leaders, Tribal citizens, and allies on Tribal crises and how Native nations respond.
Schedule
- 11:00 AM: Welcome + event basics
- 11:10 AM: Panel discussion
- 11:55 AM: Q&A
- 12:30 PM: Event concludes
Register today to reserve your spot in this free Zoom webinar! This event will be closed captioned.
Meet the Speakers
Ferin Davis Anderson, Moderator
Ferin Davis Anderson is an environmental scientist and an enrolled citizen of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa / Ojibwe / Anishinaabe / Mitchifs in North Dakota. She works as the Supervisor of Environmental Sciences for the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community’s Land and Natural Resources Department, where she is responsible for stewarding and restoring natural areas for the SMSC.
Ferin weaves traditional knowledge and western science together to make more holistic management decisions, including using fire as an ecological and cultural tool to achieve beneficial and healing outcomes. Witnessing Indigenous people revitalize and reconnect with this practice has been one of the greatest gifts of her career.
Jim Pearson, Panelist
Jim has had the privilege of working as the Sisseton emergency manager for 13 years and worked for FEMA as a Disaster Assistance employee and a Community Relations Officer. During that time, he worked with Disaster Declarations in North Dakota flooding, Colorado wildfires, and earthquake disasters in California.
Jim is a former Mayor of Sisseton, SD from 1996 – 2001, and was on the city council for six years prior to being elected Mayor. From 2003 to 2019, Jim was a high school golf coach. He has a small vineyard in his backyard with 250 plants and 6 different grape varieties and enjoys attending as many of his grandchildren’s activities as he can.
Jesse Big Crow, Panelist
Jesse Big Crow is the Planning & Coordination Specialist for the Oglala Sioux Tribe Emergency Management.
Resources
Better Together: Partnering with NDN Country Guide
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What is a Rebuilder?
Could you be a Rebuilder? The Native Nation Rebuilders program is a two-year, cohort-based leadership…
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This Tribal Finance Essentials workshop was recorded in June 2025 and covered 5 key financial…