Meet the Team
Executive Director & Founder
Mayane Chavez Barudin
Kewa (Santo Domingo) Pueblo
A proud Indigenous woman and a Tribal member of Kewa (Santo Domingo) Pueblo in New Mexico, Mayane hopes to enable economic prosperity and environmental justice for her community and Indigenous peoples by advocating for an inclusive clean energy transition. Mayane started Sovereign Energy as a native-led nonprofit organization to help center Tribal energy sovereignty and Indigenous voices within the renewable energy transition to enable energy reparations and sustainability for Indigenous peoples.
Mayane identified her focus on advocating for the just energy transition after working with the United Nations Secretariat of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (SPFII). From her experience working with her Pueblo and Tribal Nations, Mayane recognized the opportunity that energy sovereignty could bring to the socioeconomic well-being of Indigenous communities. A testament to this commitment is evident in the passage of New Mexico’s 2021 Community Solar Act, where Mayane led the consultation process with Tribal Nations, resulting in robust support from Tribal leadership and legislation that completely opened up the solar market for Tribes.
Mayane has experience working within the private energy sector and with multiple non-profit organizations. Through professional experience, Mayane has developed expertise in strategizing legislative campaigns and regulatory intervention throughout the region, clean energy project development and finance, coalition building, and stakeholder engagement.
She has completed her Master of Science in Environmental Change and Management at the University of Oxford and received her Bachelor’s at the University of Colorado, Boulder.
Contact: mayane@sovereignenergy.org
Deputy Director
Marissa Naranjo
Pueblos of Santa Clara, Kewa, and Cochiti in New Mexico
Marissa previously worked with High Watermark LLC, a Pueblo woman-owned environmental engineering company, Marissa supported strategic climate resiliency planning, Tribal federal grant writing, and provided technical policy and regulatory support to Tribes on environmental and cultural resource preservation projects, including exciting land acquisition endeavors. In addition to my work with Sovereign Energy, Marissa serves the Albuquerque Commission on American Indian and Alaskan Native Affairs as the Tribal Environmental Commissioner and is a member of the New Mexico Economic Sustainability Advisory Council.
Previously serving the All Pueblo Council of Governors, a consortium of the 23 Pueblos of New Mexico and Texas, I had the honor of managing collective Pueblo advocacy efforts on the protection of sacred cultural landscapes like the Chaco Canyon and Bears Ears regions and lead the organization’s state and federal legislative and policy agenda. Most recently with High Watermark LLC, a Pueblo woman-owned environmental engineering company, I supported strategic climate resiliency planning, Tribal federal grant writing, and provided technical policy and regulatory support to Tribes on environmental and cultural resource preservation projects, including exciting land acquisition endeavors. In addition to my work with Sovereign Energy, I serve the Albuquerque Commission on American Indian and Alaskan Native Affairs as the Tribal Environmental Commissioner and am a member of the New Mexico Economic Sustainability Advisory Council.
Our communities have long respected and caretaked the sources of energy we all rely on and I look forward to continuing to uplift the commitment, expertise, and ingenuity of our Tribal communities in building and implementing climate and energy solutions that advance authentic Tribal sovereignty and the well being of our communities for generations to come.
Contact: marissa@sovereignenergy.org
Director of Community Outreach & Education
Emerald Sage
Emerald Sage is a communications and policy advocate specializing in energy and environmental issues. Emerald has over eight years of experience in leading impactful environmental and human rights campaigns. Over her career, she managed dozens of campaigns across multiple states and Indigenous lands, influencing public policy and regulations. Additionally, she administered over $10 million in rental assistance during the COVID-19 shutdown, working directly with those most impacted by the pandemic. Currently, at Sovereign Energy, she develops culturally sensitive communication strategies, tracks key legislation, and creates policy materials to inform Tribal leaders and community members about Tribal energy issues.
Contact: emerald@sovereignenergy.org
Our Board
Pilar Thomas
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Board Treasurer
Tribal Affiliation: Pascua Yaqui
Pilar Thomas is a partner in Quarles & Brady’s Energy, Environment & Natural Resources Practice Group. She focuses her practice on tribal renewable energy project development and finance, tribal economic development, federal Indian Law, and natural resource development.
Pilar assists clients with strategic legal advice on tribal energy policy and planning; clean energy and infrastructure project development and finance; federal and state energy regulatory, programs, and policy efforts; and federal requirements for tribal lands development. She has negotiated or assisted with agreements related to transmission lines, landfill gas, solar projects, a natural gas power plant, and mineral development on tribal lands. She serves as general counsel for several tribes, Section 17, and tribal business entities.
Pilar previously served as the Deputy Director for the Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs at the US Department of Energy, where she was responsible for developing and implementing policy and program efforts within the department and federal government to achieve the office’s policy objectives related to the promotion of energy development, electrification, and infrastructure improvement on tribal lands. She also is the former Deputy Solicitor of Indian Affairs for the US Department of the Interior; served as the Interim Attorney General and Chief of Staff to Chairwoman Herminia Frias of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe; and was a trial attorney in the US Department of Justice, Environmental and Natural Resources Division, Indian Resources Section. 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.
John Lewis
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Tribal Affiliation: Gila River Indian Community
John has over 15 years of development and planning experience with Tribal energy and infrastructure projects. He has experience sitting on both sides of the table: sitting on the Tribal leader side of energy projects and serving on the private consulting and development side of projects.
Mr. Lewis attended Stanford University and studied in the Civil & Environmental Engineering Program. He is an enrolled member of the Gila River Indian Community and has served as the Chairman of the Gila River Indian Community Utility Authority and a Corporate Board Member of Gila River Telecommunications, Inc. (GRTI). John believes in the power of Indian Country and is dedicated to supporting Tribes in the energy transition.
Derrick Toledo
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Board President
Tribal Affiliation: Jemez Pueblo
Derrick Toledo works as a Field Representative for Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernández representing New Mexico’s 3rd congressional District. He is a Tribal member of Jemez Pueblo, where he has served as a Tribal official. Derrick now works closely with the Tribes across New Mexico in education, infrastructure, natural resource protection, and other priority areas.
Derrick is a graduate of the University of New Mexico where he studied Multimedia Journalism and Marketing Management and is currently obtaining his Master’s at the Arizona State University in Political Psychology. Previously, Derrick has served on the Board of Directors of Naeva and the Chapter Executive Committee for the Rio Grande Chapter of the Sierra Club.