Julia McKenna is a Research Data Analyst and Data Steward at Northwestern University, where she supports the STRONG Manoomin Collective’s work on Indigenous data governance, environmental resilience, and community-driven research. She is a data scientist and sustainability researcher with experience spanning academia, nonprofits, and public-sector collaborations. Her work integrates computational methods with participatory research to enhance environmental decision-making, open data access, and policy impact. Julia has written and presented on topics related to data stewardship, climate resilience, and Indigenous data sovereignty. She holds a B.A. in Sociology with minors in Data Science and Linguistics from the University of Notre Dame and an M.Sc. in Natural Sciences: Smart and Sustainable Cities from Trinity College Dublin.