Derek Red Arrow Frank joins WELC board of directors

The Western Environmental Law Center, a nonprofit public-interest environmental law firm, is proud to announce the addition of Derek Red Arrow Frank to its board of directors.

Derek is an enrolled member of the Nez Perce Tribe and an attorney with the law firm of Stokes Lawrence Velikanje Moore & Shore, where he is the co-leader of the firm’s American Indian Law Practice Group. Derek has served as a staff attorney for the Yakama Nation’s Office of Legal Counsel, as a judicial clerk to District Court Judge Brian Morris of the U.S. District Court of Montana, and as a law clerk for the Nez Perce Tribe, EarthJustice, and the Civil Rights Unit of the Washington state Attorney General’s office.

“We are elated to welcome Derek to the WELC board,” said board president Karin Sheldon. “His background and significant experience in American Indian law will provide our organization with an unparalleled perspective and expertise. His contributions will be of great value as we address the challenging environmental issues facing the region, the nation, and the world.”

“I am honored to serve with WELC and its board to ensure our natural resources stand protected,” said Derek Red Arrow. “Throughout this country’s history, natural resources have been taken, recklessly distributed and abused primarily for capital gains at the cost of both public lands and tribal sacred sites and resources. I am therefore excited to join this team, and strengthen WELC’s indigenous partnerships for the mutual goal of protecting and responsibly managing our environment in a way that will benefit our generations yet to come.”

“Derek joins the board at a moment where WELC’s strategic legal advocacy, leveraged in solidarity with our 185-plus annual partners, is more important than ever,” said executive director Erik Schlenker-Goodrich. “His deep knowledge of the western U.S., impressive professional skill set, and lived experience will prove essential to our continued ascension.”

Founded in 1993, the Western Environmental Law Center uses the power of the law to safeguard the wildlife, wildlands, and communities of the western U.S. WELC is governed by a board of directors comprised of renowned attorneys, academics, and conservationists from across the country.

Contact:

Erik Schlenker-Goodrich, WELC Executive Director, 575-751-0351,