Emma Robbins Named Next CEO of Planet Women
Planet Women is thrilled to announce an exciting new chapter for our organization. Emma Robbins (Diné) has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer starting January 2025. Co-founder Kristine Zeigler will remain on the team and step into a new role as Special Advisor, focusing on capacity-building and fundraising.
Emma is an expert in the water, sanitation and hygiene sector, as well as an accomplished artist, activist, and community organizer who has dedicated her career to empowering Indigenous communities. Since joining Planet Women as Managing Director in July 2023, she has strengthened the organization's systems, policies, and partnerships while overseeing operations, programs, fundraising and marketing - bringing the same collaborative and culturally inclusive approach that has defined her work throughout her career.
Emma Robbins joined Planet Women as Managing Director in 2023 and has been named the new CEO. © Emma Robbins.
Growing up between Cameron and Tuba City on the Navajo Nation, Emma witnessed firsthand the challenges many residents faced accessing clean water, particularly in communities surrounded by abandoned uranium mines. This experience inspired her work as Executive Director of the Navajo Water Project at DigDeep, where she grew the team from three to forty staff members across the Navajo Nation, expanding access to clean running water for thousands of families.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, her team's water delivery services proved crucial in helping protect community members when the Navajo Nation faced one of the highest infection rates in the country. Now based in Los Angeles, Emma drew from her roots in both art and community organizing to found The Chapter House, creating a space for Indigenous Peoples and allies to celebrate their cultures through art exhibitions, beading workshops, and various events - weaving together traditional and contemporary Indigenous experiences.
“Planet Women’s leadership and grantmaking programs are making an incredible impact and I’m excited to support the team in continuing our momentum,” Emma shares. “I look forward to expanding our partnerships with Indigenous communities across the Americas and Africa and weaving even more storytelling and art into our movement.”
With this transition, Planet Women is excited to embrace a new era of leadership that underscores the importance of Indigenous voices in environmental conservation organizations, which have historically lacked diversity. Planet Women remains steadfastly committed to partnering with women to care for the planet for the benefit of all life. We continue to model a different kind of leadership for the environmental movement that centers women and marginalized communities, while restoring and protecting the forests and watersheds that are critical to a healthy planet. Our programs in the Congo River, Colorado River, and Amazon River basins will continue.
“Planet Women was designed to embody the values of shared power, collaboration, and honoring all voices, especially ones that the nature conservation movement has sidelined or ignored for too long,” Kristine says. “The old ways have not worked to meet global sustainability goals. It’s time for new leaders and new perspectives.”
Kristine’s new role will combine many of her passions: storytelling, demystifying fundraising, mentoring women environmental leaders, and expanding women’s access to resources. She will work with the staff and board to develop innovative, sustainable income streams for Planet Women and help women and their allies build their fundraising skills through training and networking opportunities.
“I have learned so much from Emma,” shared Kristine. “I can’t wait to see what her leadership will bring to our community and our mission. Becoming an Indigenous-led organization is a significant moment for Planet Women. I am grateful to everyone who has supported this journey to welcome Emma as our next CEO.”
Please join us in celebrating this next chapter.