Our Staff

The Executive Director & staff shall manage the organizational affairs, carry out the duties as assigned by the Executive Board, and pursue the established goals of the Affiliated Tribes.

Amber Schulz-Oliver (She/Her)

Executive Director

Amber Schulz-Oliver an American Indian (Celilo/ Yakama Descendant) Oregonian and has established firm roots in Portland, Oregon. As Executive Director of Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians Economic Development Corporation (ATNI-EDC), she is dedicated to assisting ATNI Member Tribes fulfill their economic development goals and priorities. ATNI-EDC has a subsidiary organization, ATNI Financial Services, that is a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) and provides loans to Native American entrepreneurs that may not otherwise be able to obtain financing.

Amber graduated from Oberlin College in 2001 and soon after joined the Peace Corps. She then worked at a Native American owned Engineering firm, Akana, where she managed several projects in and for the benefit of Indian Country. She moved on to work for the non-profit organization, Ecotrust on a project to research the economic development needs, goals, and priorities of ATNI member tribes, and evaluated the feasibility of a fellowship model to meet some of those goals. In 2013, Ms. Schulz-Oliver earned her MBA, graduating with honors from Willamette University.
Amber serves as the President of the Potlatch Fund, Co-Chair of newly established Nch’I Wana Housing, and as board members of the Oregon Growth Board, and on the advisory boards of Ecotrust Community Development Entity, and Ecotrust Investments. She is committed to social and economic justice, environmental stewardship, sustainability, protecting Tribal sovereignty, and service to the Native community.

Email: Ambers@atnitribes.org

Patrick Freeland (He/Him)

Senior Tribal Climate Resilience Liaison

Honor, Pride, and Respect. These values serve as the foundational structure for Patrick Austin Freeland (Wind Clan, Muscogee Nation of Oklahoma) and centers his commitment to advancing Tribal sovereignty and fostering intercultural relationships to adapt to climate change and promote resilience within our shared communities, Nations, and planet. Patrick currently resides in the usual and accustomed territories of the Lhaq’temish and Nooksack Peoples in Bellingham, Washington.

Climate adaptation and tribal resilience and wellbeing are at the heart of Patrick‘s professional vocation. Integrating noncognitive development, open-access educational and scientific initiatives, and intergenerational knowledge sharing centering: Sovereignty, Relationality, and Responsibility. Patrick strives to embody and promote inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA) in practice, principles, and value systems that build connections between Peoples. Patrick is a first-generation college student, and walked an educational pathway shaped by experiences at Haskell Indian Nations University and Purdue University, in creative writing, Indigenous and American Indian studies, and ecological sciences and engineering. Patrick has served roles as a scholar, faculty, mentor, and coach and continued research and educational techniques reflect an unwavering dedication to respectful and ethical inquiry, civic engagement and service. His professional philosophy weaves together a rich tapestry of interdisciplinary sciences, arts, and engineering, with the principal focus of advancing human and environmental well-being. Patrick’s mission involves navigating the boundaries of societal progress, advancing excellence in design, and fostering intercultural understanding through the lens of truth and reconciliation.

Email: Patrickfreeland@atnitribes.org
Phone: 503.922.3431

Reuben Martinez (He/Him)

Energy Program Manager

Reuben Martinez is a member of the Makah Nation. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Western Washington University (2020) and a Master of Marine Affairs from the University of Washington (2024). His passion for climate resilience work started while at Northwest Indian College in Bellingham Washington, where he began exploring Tribal strategic energy plans. This led him to a Policy Analyst position at Renewable Northwest. A renewable energy advocacy organization specializing in policy work, where he helped co-write the Tribal Solar Barriers Report.

Afterwards, Reuben worked at Spark Northwest as a Tribal liaison where he managed the Energy Transition Initiative Partnership Project (ETIPP), a federal initiative to help islanded communities with technical support. He was responsible for outreach and engagement with Tribes on the Westcoast, and for the development of strategic energy plans.

Reuben is committed to supporting Tribal Nations interested in energy initiatives and is eager to contribute his expertise to an organization that serves a diverse range of Tribal communities

Email: reuben@atnitribes.org
Phone: 503.922.3407

Nick Wolf (He/Him)

Finance Specialist

Originally from Oakland, CA, Nick relocated to Portland during the COVID-19 pandemic. Though new to the city, his Oregon roots go back generations. Before moving to Portland, he worked as a career counselor for a veteran-focused nonprofit, with prior roles as a payroll clerk and executive assistant. Raised by LGBTQ parents with an unwavering dedication to social and economic justice, he was involved in various Californian / Los Angeles political efforts, coordinating canvassing efforts for progressive causes and advocating more robust protections and guaranteed wages for gig economy workers with his work on Prop 22. When he’s not practicing his guitar chops, or reverse-engineering mid-2000’s PowerPC software, you might find him volunteering in the kitchen of Blanchet House or CityTeam.

Email: nick@atnitribes.org
Phone: 503.542.7425