Chaitna was raised in Utah and spent much of her time exploring its spectacular mountains and canyons. She recognized early on that she wanted to help ensure these places remained preserved for future generations. She received her undergraduate degree in environmental studies from the University of Utah and her J.D. from Lewis and Clark Law School with an emphasis in natural resources law. Her legal practice has primarily focused on environmental law and federal Indian law. Prior to joining the Trust, Chaitna worked in the nonprofit and government sectors. Chaitna is driven by a desire to understand and foster legal, social, and economic systems that support landscapes and Indigenous cultures.
If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them more than the miracles of technology. We must leave them a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning, not just after we got through with it.
— President Lyndon B. Johnson