Beth Roach is a tribal leader, a farmer and surfer, a teacher and historian, an entrepreneur, fundraiser and environmental activist. For over a decade, she has served on the Tribal Council of the Nottoway Indian Tribe of Virginia and led environmental initiatives. In 2018, she co-founded the Alliance of Native Seedkeepers, an emerging benefit corporation, to protect endangered Indigenous seeds and waterways. From 2018-2020, Beth chaired the inaugural Virginia Council on Environmental Justice; in 2020, Beth launched a tribal coastal resilience initiative with a team of scientists, policy makers, and tribal communities to implement climate adaptation strategies within the shared waters of Virginia and North Carolina. As a public fellow for UVA’s Coastal Futures Conservatory, she is capturing water stories from indigenous perspectives to assist in climate resiliency planning.
For the Sierra Club, Beth is a fundraiser and program lead for the Women’s Earth Alliance and Sierra Club’s US Grassroots Accelerator. Her past work includes chief ranger of interpretation for Virginia State Parks, grants manager for the James River Association and climate justice organizer for Mothers Out Front. Beth earned her bachelor’s degree in public history from James Madison University. She lives along the inner banks of the Albemarle Sound with her partner, cat, and many wildlife critters.