Tribal Engagement—Community Benefits Planning

Tribal Engagement—Community Benefits Planning

This panel collaboration provides an opportunity for the cohort of clean energy developers to hear about the role of community benefits planning in fostering long-term mutually beneficial relationships between Tribal Nations and developers. Community benefits planning is not just a strategy - it's a commitment to shared prosperity and a powerful way to bridge the gap between project development and community priorities. While often discussed in the context of federal programs, its true value extends far beyond mandates. Through storytelling and discussion, this panel will support developers to approach engagement as a relationship, where investment in Tribal communities results in shared wins. By centering Indigenous voices, we aim to move beyond transactional thinking and demonstrate how co-creating benefits within Indigenous communities leads to stronger, more resilient projects.

Erin Lieberman (Moderator)

Executive Vice President, Environmental Compliance & Strategy

Invenergy

Erin Lieberman serves as Invenergy’s Executive Vice President of Environmental Compliance and Strategy and leads the company’s efforts to advance the development, construction and operation of environmentally responsible clean energy projects. In this role, Lieberman oversees teams supporting land-based renewables, offshore wind, and long-distance and multi-state transmission. Working at the intersection of energy and the environment, Lieberman has more than 15 years of experience providing legal and strategic policy leadership related to public and private land permitting, renewable energy and transmission development, and asset management compliance, with a proven record of identifying and achieving meaningful solutions. Previously, Lieberman worked at a national environmental non-profit organization on federal wildlife and federal land policy, working directly with the White House, leadership at federal agencies, and congressional members. She holds a BS from the University of California-Berkeley and a JD from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law.

Sheiyenne Baloo-Seegmiller

Tax and Finance Project Manager

7Skyline Energy Consulting

Sheiyenne, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, serves as a Tribal liaison, advises Tribes on grants and loan financing, and helps review contracts for 7Skyline. She manages several Tribes in California, Arizona, and Oklahoma by drafting energy plans, managing their microgrid connections, and battery storage implementation. As well as, writing federal and non-profit grants for them, totaling nearly $700,000 in 2024. Sheiyenne’s Tribal liaison work includes facilitating community meetings and presenting to Tribal Councils on energy projects. Sheiyenne currently serves on the outreach committee for the Latter-day Saint Earth Stewardship organization by helping with social media posts and organizing events.​ Sheiyenne graduated from Brigham Young University (BYU) with a bachelor's degree in political science and a minor in American Indian studies. 2022, she graduated summa cum laude from the University of Oklahoma master's program in legal studies with an emphasis in Indigenous Peoples Law.

Sam Frick

Director, Community Relations & Impact

Pivot Energy

Sam Frick is the Director of Community Relations & Impact at Pivot Energy, a renewable energy provider and independent power producer that develops, finances, builds, owns, and manages solar and energy storage projects. Sam leads Pivot’s community engagement strategy in Hawaiʻi where she works with Native Hawaiians to co-create community benefits agreements. Sam has over 14 years of experience in community engagement, government relations, and business development in the renewable energy and energy storage industries. Sam draws from her lived experience, indigenous wisdom, and a holistic approach to foster authentic, community-centric engagement. Sam grew up with one foot on the mainland of Michigan and one on Mackinac Island, where her family has lived for generations. With both European and Anishinaabe roots, Sam learned the cultural traditions and native Ojibwe language while attending Bahweting Anishinaabe School. She is a member of the Sault Ste Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians.

Michelle Holiday

President

Michelle Holiday & Associates

Michelle Holiday, an enrolled member of the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma, has had extensive experience in tribal affairs, government relations, and the energy and telecommunication industries. From 1993 to 2001, She served in customer relations and public affairs roles for Southern California Edison (SCE). In 2002, she became the Senior Manager of Legislative and Native American Affairs for Edison International, SCE's parent company. She held that position until March 2013, when she retired from Edison to establish Michelle Holiday & Associates. In addition to her extensive experience in the energy field, Holiday has held positions in tribal administration, serving her own tribe as Director of Economic Development from 2001-2003. She is currently a consultant for government relations, strategic planning, and tribal development. Holiday holds leadership positions in several Native and non-Native organizations. She served on the National Board of Girl Scouts of the USA, Board of Directors of the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development (NCAIED), which hosts the annual national RES conference for the Native American Business Community. In 2014, she was named to the Board of Directors of the Mesa Grande Band of Mission Indians Economic Development Authority. Holiday also is an Ambassador to the U.S. Department of Energy's Minorities in Energy Initiative and a former member of the American Petroleum Institute's Energy Research Collaborative. She serves on the Board of Directors of Walking Shield, a humanitarian organization serving Native families. A graduate of California State University Long Beach, Michelle Holiday, whose Indian name is Na-Sta’ Peme or “Good Heart Woman," is deeply connected to her tribal heritage, which continues to inform her identity, career path, work ethic, and commitment to helping Native American tribes and businesses achieve their community and business goals.

Pilar Thomas

Partner

Quarles & Brady LLP

Pilar Thomas (Pascua Yaqui) is a partner in Quarles & Brady's Energy, Environment & Natural Resources Practice Group. She provides strategic legal advice to tribes, tribal enterprises, and renewable energy companies related to clean energy development, finance and transactions and economic development on Indian lands. Ms. Thomas previously served as the Deputy Director for the Office of Indian Energy in the US Department of Energy, Deputy Solicitor of Indian Affairs for the US Department of the Interior, Interim Attorney General and Chief of Staff for Pascua Yaqui Tribe, and a trial attorney in the US Department of Justice, Environmental and Natural Resources Division, Indian Resources Section. She is a Professor of Practice at both the University of Arizona School of Law and Arizona State University College of Law, where she teaches Indian Energy Law. She also serves as a board member for the Foundation for Natural Resources and Energy Law and Western Resources Advocates. She received her J.D. from the University of New Mexico School of Law, magna cum laude, and her B.A. in Economics from Stanford University.
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