Rebecca “Becca” Neal is from South Bend, Indiana, and holds a bachelor of arts degree in religious studies and anthropology from the University of Wisconsin. Before joining the institute, she worked with survivors of violence as well as with emergency and affordable housing programs in Madison, Wisconsin, New Orleans, Louisiana, and then in Albuquerque after moving to New Mexico in 2019. Interested in the structural and environmental conditions that contribute to experiences of violence, trauma, health, and healing, she now is completing a dual graduate degree in the Master of Public Health and Master of Community & Regional Planning programs at the University of New Mexico. In her role as a research assistant, she supports the institute’s work in both the environmental and MMIW initiatives to better understand and address the full spectrum of community health impacts posed by extractive industry and environmental injustices.