MEET

MARIA

GIVENS

I’VE SPENT THE LAST DECADE BUILDING A CAREER THAT

BLENDS STORYTELLING, STRATEGY, AND ADVOCACY.

HI! I’M MARIA

RESPECT THE COMMUNITY

HONOR THE STORY

BUILD SOMETHING THAT LASTS

I am a member of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe and the founder of Maria Givens Consulting. I’m a facilitator, storyteller, and strategist who works at the intersection of Native values and meaningful impact.

My work is guided by a simple belief: when we tell our stories—truthfully, beautifully, and with care—we shape the future. I help organizations and communities do just that.

Over the past decade, I’ve worked with tribal governments, Native-led nonprofits, major philanthropic foundations, and youth across Indian Country. Whether I’m facilitating a room of Native environmental leaders or capturing the story of a grantee doing critical work on the ground, my focus stays the same:

I’VE SPENT THE LAST DECADE

BUILDING A CAREER THAT BLENDS

STORYTELLING, STRATEGY, AND ADVOCACY.

MY PATH HERE

Before founding my own practice, I co-founded and helped lead Tahoma Peak Solutions, a Native woman-owned consulting firm where I wore many hats: Chief Operating Officer, communications strategist, storyteller, facilitator, and builder of systems. I created cultural competency trainings that reached national audiences, designed internal operations from the ground up, and led major contracts with philanthropic foundations and Native-led organizations. My work helped the firm grow from idea to respected institution.

Before that, I worked at the Native American Agriculture Fund, where I helped craft messaging and communications strategy for one of the largest Native-focused foundations in the country.

I studied Sustainable Food Systems and Environmental Science at the University of Colorado.

Earlier still, I worked in federal policy and public affairs in Washington, D.C.—including time in the U.S. Senate and at the National Congress of American Indians. These experiences gave me a deep understanding of how stories move policy, how relationships move funding, and how clarity creates impact.

Across all of this, I’ve stayed grounded in my community and culture. The thread running through every role I’ve held is this:

I help people tell the truth

about who they are and what they do—

and I help them do it in a way

that moves others to act.

I help people tell the truth about who they are and what they do—

and I help them do it in a way that moves others to act.

MY PATH HERE

MY STORIES IN THE NEWS

  • Many Faces of Sovereignty: One Tribe’s Story of Reclaiming its Food System

    READ ARTICLE

  • The long road to a reckoning on racist team names

    READ ARTICLE

  • Seattle cook highlights her Native heritage on ‘Great American Recipe’

    READ FEATURE

  • Indian Country Faces Roadblocks to CARES Act Implementation

    READ ARTICLE

  • The 5 million Americans that 2020 candidates refuse to talk about

    READ ARTICLE

  • 12 Native-Owned Food Businesses to Support on Indigenous Peoples’ Day

    READ ARTICLE

  • Funding Limbo Underscores Complexity of Pandemic Health Care in Indian Country

    READ ARTICLE

  • The coronavirus is exacerbating vulnerabilities Native communities already face

    READ ARTICLE

  • Chef takes Indigenous flavors to ‘Great American Recipe’

    READ FEATURE

  • Analysis: Three Super Tuesday States to Watch for the Native Vote

    READ ARTICLE

MY PERSONAL APPROACh

I don’t just help people tell stories—I help them understand their own power. I bring a calm, focused energy to every room I enter. I listen closely. I translate complexity into clarity. I guide groups toward alignment.

Whether I’m leading a retreat, producing a short film, or supporting Native youth in finding their voice, I stay rooted in these values:

COMMUNITY OVER EGO

Authenticity over polish

STORY OVER NOISE

IN MY CLIENTS’ WORDS

  • Starlyn Miller, Senior Director Native Lands Partnerships, The Wilderness Society:

    “Working with Maria Givens over the past four years has been an absolute joy. As a consultant, Maria brings a rare combination of deep listening, cultural insight, and strategic thinking to every project. She takes the time to truly understand her clients’ needs and consistently delivers work that exceeds expectations. Her leadership, grounded in her identity and citizenship as a Coeur d’Alene woman, brings invaluable perspective and integrity to her work. I wholeheartedly recommend Maria for any organization seeking a thoughtful, skilled, and visionary consultant.”

  • Laura Laumatia, Environmental Programs Director, Coeur D'Alene Tribe:

    “I have had the joy of working with Maria on several projects with the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, including developing a food sovereignty assessment, planning and hosting a national food sovereignty conference with several hundred attendees, and facilitation and mentoring of our youth environmental justice coalition. Maria has a unique and highly valuable suite of skills, including her beautiful multi-media work, her ability to effectively help diverse groups navigate through issue identification and solution-seeking, and her ability to bring the right partners to the table. She responds to client needs with a level of excellence that honors her family and her Tribe, and I am grateful to have her as a collaborator.”

  • LoVina Louie, Natural Resources Education & Outreach Manager, Coeur d’Alene Tribe:

    “As one of our own, Maria’s presence on 'The Great American Recipe' is a reminder of the beauty and power of our schitsu’umsh Coeur d’Alene spus heart. Our foods and medicines connect us back to our ancestors; they awaken our spirits, and we remember. Her gift for capturing the spirit of our songs, foods, medicines, language, and traditions ensures that our stories are carried forward with truth, respect, and pride.”

LET’S WORK TOGETHER

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