Michaela Paulette Shirley (Diné), MCRP, is Water Edge clan, born for Bitter Water clan, her maternal grandpa is Salt clan, and her paternal grandpa is Coyote Pass clan. She is a program manager for the Indigenous Design and Planning Institute at University of New Mexico. Michaela is a PhD student in the UNM American Studies Department. Her areas of expertise include urban planning, community development, and Indigenous planning, with research interests in community-school relationships, biographies of landscape, Diné studies, critical Indigenous studies, critical regional studies, and hemispheric Indigenous comparative studies. Michaela presents at conferences offering keynotes, leading workshops/community engagement activities, conducting content analysis of community engagement work, and serves on conference committees as needed. She has published about Indigenous planning, creative placemaking/PlaceKnowing, and Diné-centered arts management. Michaela’s served 5 years as a School Board Member with the Dził Ditł’ooí School of Empowerment, Action, and Perseverance, a steering committee member of the Planners Network, committee member of the National Tribal Brownfields Networking Group, and co-founder of an artist giving circle, Vital Little Plans.

Links:

http://idpi.unm.edu/about/people/michaela-shirley.html

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaela-shirley-872760b3