Andrea Everett

Andrea (Andie) Everett, the founder and owner of MatriARC PROJECTion, LLC, is a force for change. With a master’s in environmental science, she has specialized in geographic information systems (GIS), land use and land cover, and traditional ecological knowledge. She attended the University of Texas at El Paso.  Andie is an enrolled citizen of the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo (Tribal nation).  Her journey began by learning about traditional values and the gifts of the land from tribal elders. Andie’s thesis examined future climate scenarios and how these changes will further impact the Native American community of Ysleta del Sur Pueblo’s cultural continuity and access to riparian ecosystem services along the Rio Grande River.  Her diverse experience includes roles such as Environmental Programs Manager (Ysleta del Sur Pueblo), GIS Administrator (Lower Valley Water District), and Extension Agent (Prairie View A&M University). Through these roles, she has developed extensive skills in GIS, environmental management, program development, and educational outreach. She is also an FAA-certified drone pilot. Andie’s primary passion is building social and land justice by supporting Indigenous and underserved communities and nonprofits. Her work is not just a job but a mission to serve, teach, enlighten, and pass on cultural and land values and sustainable practices to future generations.

Her recent projects include a digital storytelling project and GIS capacity building for La Semilla Food Center. Andrea and La Semilla staff are using ESRI Storymaps to highlight 12 Chihuahuan Desert plants and their relationships with people in the Paso del Norte. The stories are told through various media, including poetry, art, culinary art, song, spoken word, and medicinal practices. In addition, she wrote and collaborated on a Texas Parks and Wildlife Community Outdoor Outreach Program (CO-OP) grant called “Cultural Resource Protection through Storytelling Using Drones, Mapping & Traditional Practices.” The six-week program worked with 20 Indigenous youth from Ysleta del Sur Pueblo and combined Tigua cultural values with drones and GIS. She was recently instrumental in creating a community organization called T-ai-U Hlorian Hurini (Tiwa Women’s Circle), whose goals include recovering traditional foodways, decolonizing the role of Tigua women, building a sustainable traditional garden, building a seed bank, and conducting community support, education, and food distribution. Lastly, she is adamant about respect and reverence for Tigua Pueblo culture. She and her mother facilitate cultural competency training programs for Tribal corporation employees using modules such as Sovereignty, Government, Cultural Values, Economic Timelines, and Cultivating Cultural Connections.

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www.matriarcprojectionllc.com/mp