Staff Spotlight: Steve Rigdon
Steve manages our tribal partnerships and resource stewardship, with one of his largest projects being to help the U.S. Forest Service be more knowledgeable and culturally responsive when working with Tribes in Oregon and Washington.
““I like how [Sustainable Northwest] is really stepping into space to serve Tribes and to lift up their autonomy and sovereignty and resource stewardship, plus their cultures, to help express identity, place, acknowledgement, and reciprocity. SNW is just doing a lot in that space.””
How did your childhood influence your decision to work in sustainability?
It had to do with going to the mountains and camping and fishing and picking huckleberries. From a very young age, we would go to the mountains, and my parents would talk about how important and sacred it was and how we were connected to it. Also, playing with my family up there – my brothers, sisters, and cousins. Even after my parents stopped taking us, we kept going. With all that exposure to it, I just loved it and wanted to be part of it and as I got older. I understood the importance of taking care of it. I started fighting fire with a lot of the same relatives. We camped together, picked berries, fished, and hunted together – and now we are working to protect it. It all added up to where I wanted to be and contribute.
How did your educational and career path lead you to Sustainable Northwest?
I’m a member of the Yakama Nation, and they invested in me. They covered all of my college expenses, and they said if I went to college to become a forester, I could come back, have a job, and have no debt. That was a great opportunity. After I earned my bachelor’s degree in forestry from the University of Washington, I came back to the reservation and worked for the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs. It was not quite the right fit, and I was not able to advance my career there the way I wanted to. Yakama Power, the public utility on the reservation, recruited me to work on biomass. At the same time, I went back to college to work toward a master’s in bioenergy. Eventually, Yakama Forest Products recruited me as its general manager because the existing one was retiring. That felt like a perfect fit for me, and it was for a while. It also exposed me to Indigenous Knowledge more directly and introduced me to Sustainable Northwest because Yakama Forest Products sourced a significant amount of wood for the Portland International Airport’s new main terminal. When the position of tribal partnership and resource stewardship manager opened at SNW, I applied because I was seeking more flexibility and work-life balance than is possible at the mill.
What do you like most about your position at Sustainable Northwest?
I like my role. I like how the organization is stepping into space to serve Tribes and to lift up their autonomy and sovereignty, and resource stewardship, plus their cultures, to help express identity, place, acknowledgement, and reciprocity. SNW is doing a lot in that space, and they seem genuine. It doesn’t seem exploitative or uncaring. It really does seem like it comes from a place of service and care. That’s how I like to live. I strongly believe in god and spirituality, and serving family is a big part of that – and all our natures and creations are part of our family, with our first foods ceremony and creation beliefs. Our philosophies align in that servitude space. Take care of things so that they can take care of us. It’s a reciprocal way of life.
Passions outside of work: My family. I have an eight-year-old daughter, two grown children, my daughter the oldest, and my son – who, thankfully, I don’t have to worry about much, but I try to help them out. They are excelling as young adults. I’m also passionate about the traditional sweat house. It is something I just need and crave. It uplifts me and helps me recharge and care for myself to show up better. I also love sports – basketball, and football – and love being a part of my community. I fish and hunt. They’re not necessarily a passion, just part of our way of life.
One thing you think is overrated: People’s feelings
Favorite thing to do on a day off: Spend some time with friends and family at a sports event, like a Seahawks or UW game.
Favorite place in the PNW: Skone way, Wapato WA – the street I live on is the best in the world.
Book recommendation: The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, by Sherman Alexie
Cats or dogs? Dogs
