Brie Fraley

Board Member

Brie Fraley is a citizen of the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation who grew up along the Smith River in Northern California and now lives with her family along the Klamath River. As a mother of four boys, her commitment to healthy rivers and Indigenous stewardship is both professional and deeply personal. In 2025, her oldest son participated in the historic first source-to-sea descent of the restored Klamath River, strengthening her belief in the power of reconnecting Indigenous youth with the lands and waters that have sustained their communities for generations.

Brie holds a degree in Native American Studies and has spent her career working at the intersection of Indigenous stewardship, environmental policy, advocacy, and community wellbeing. She has traveled internationally to advocate for Indigenous-led conservation and for the recognition of Indigenous peoples as leaders in protecting lands, waters, and the relationships that sustain them.

She is the founder of Indigenous Rise, an Indigenous-led nonprofit committed to fostering belonging, health, and wellbeing in Indigenous communities through Indigenous philosophies, cultural practices, relationship with place, and community power building.

Brie’s work is grounded in the belief that healthy lands, healthy waters, and healthy people are inseparable. She serves on the Ríos to Rivers board because she believes that when Indigenous young people are given opportunities to know their rivers, build relationships across communities, and see themselves as stewards and leaders, they carry that responsibility forward for generations.