We are pleased to announce that Kate R. Finn has been appointed Executive Director of听First Peoples听Worldwide.听Kate has served as Staff Attorney at听First Peoples听since 2018 and has expertise on articulating how the impacts of development in Indigenous communities must be addressed at all levels of business and investment in order to build healthy Native economies and communities for generations.听As Executive Director,听she will devise and implement听First Peoples鈥櫶�organizational strategy,听辞versee staff and projects towards mission fulfillment,听and forge and maintain relationships of trust with partners听and program听participants.听
鈥�During her time as Staff听Attorney, Kate听led standard听setting initiatives to accelerate the rights of Indigenous Peoples in global spaces, advocating听for听more robust considerations of听Indigenous Peoples in the Equator Principles and in the Principles for Responsible Banking.听She听has supported Indigenous leaders听through听trainings听and capacity听building听for full participation with banks, investors and other stakeholders where development infringes on听Indigenous lands, rights and听lifeways.听She has also worked to align corporate and industry behavior with the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and to assess and expand the听UNGPs听with听the听UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights.听
鈥�Among several papers,听Kate听co-authored听Social Cost and Material Loss: The Dakota Access Pipeline听and听. Her article 鈥�鈥� appeared in the March 2020 issue of听Green Money Journal.
鈥�As an enrolled member of the Osage Nation,听Kate听continues a tradition of Native leadership of听First听Peoples听carried听forward by founder Rebecca Adamson (Cherokee), and Carla Fredericks (Mandan, Hidatsa and听Arikara听Nation), who homed听First Peoples听at CU听and served as Director听after Ms. Adamson's retirement.听
鈥�Kate holds a J.D. and a听Masters听in Public Administration from the University of Colorado, and a B.A. from Princeton University. She was the inaugural American Indian Law Program Fellow at the University of Colorado Law, where she worked directly with Tribes and Native communities. She serves on the boards of the First Nations Community Financial and Unified Solutions Tribal Community Development Group. Prior to her work with听First听Peoples,听Kate served as a Program Coordinator with the Denver Victim Services Network, working on the local level to connect service agencies and advocated at the federal level for adequate protections for victims of crime.