Roselyn Poton is a Filipina American, mother, and first-generation college graduate. The intersection of environmental justice, community focus, and health guides Poton’s work as Water Justice Coordinator at Verde and Coordinating Team Member at Oregon Water Future’s Collaborative (OWF).
Nurtured over the years, Poton’s motivation to work with water grew through professional roles and academic studies. Her passion began as a healthcare professional where she learned to compassionately navigate complex relationships that required patience, creative problem solving, and collaborative skills to manage and care for diverse populations with different health needs to promote positive health outcomes. Continuing to fuel her passion, Poton earned a MS in General Social Science with a concentration in Environment, Globalization, and Policy and double minoring in Global Health and Global Studies from the University of Oregon (UofO). This experience showed her how important the environment is in influencing health and how policies shape the world around us. Poton’s interest in the environment deepened when she participated in the study abroad program, Indigenous Rights and Environmental Justice and inspired her to co-found the student-led group at UofO, Students for Indigenous Rights and Environmental Justice (SIREJ). Poton knew after completing the study abroad program that she needed to better understand how to navigate complex environmental issues to achieve her goals. Poton then obtained a MS in Conflict and Dispute Resolution specializing in Environmental Conflicts involving water from UofO.
Poton understands that a healthy environment is the foundation for health and that communities and relationships are key to furthering water and environmental justice. Without access to clean and safe water, land, and air – communities and the life that compose them cannot exist in healthy and balanced ways. To help further water and environmental justice, Poton serves on the Columbia Riverkeeper Restoration Fund as a Committee Member at Seeding Justice and Steering Committee Member at Water, Equity, and Climate Resilience Caucus, and a Board Member for Building Capacity for Collaborative Interdisciplinary Research on Water and Society at Portland State University.