As Director of Government and Community Affairs at Sierra Business Council, Emily Blackmer leads SBC’s efforts to protect and advance the well-being of the Sierra Nevada through advocacy, legislative engagement, and coalition-building across the region and the state. Emily brings expertise in natural resources, wildfire, and climate policy, as well as a deep commitment to advancing the triple-bottom-line mission in rural communities. She previously worked for the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, a California state agency. Emily holds a master’s degree in natural resource policy from the University of Michigan, where her research focused on land stewardship as an economic development strategy in the rural West, and a B.A. from Dartmouth College.