Susan Higgins

Background

About Susan Higgins

Please see our latest oped: New study out: Climate Change and Human Health in Montana http://live-mca-site.pantheonsite.io/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/2021_C2H2inMT_final.pdf Susan Higgins brings over three decades of expertise in water resources management and policy to her current role. She was recently engaged with the Center for American Indian and Rural Health Equity and Montana INBRE, where she served as a vital link between health researchers and rural communities in Montana. Her work continues to involve assessing the profound effects of climate change on human health. Susan's dedication to water-related issues extends back to her tenure as a water planner for the State of Montana, and later as the Program Director for The Tributary Fund. During her time with TTF, she played a pivotal role in fostering research collaborations and exchanges in diverse locales, including Mongolia, Bhutan, and her home state of Montana.(In summer 2023, she was co-lead for an American Center for Mongolian Studies field course on the impacts of climate change on human health.) Before that, Susan was instrumental in her position as the Director for Water Research Communications at the Montana University System Water Center and as a founding director for the Montana Watercourse. Her skills as a trained facilitator have been consistently applied to water planning and natural resources initiatives. Additionally, she has co-authored informative guides for educators and landowners, covering critical subjects like wetlands management and streambank stabilization. Susan's influence extends further as she worked as a consultant for the Roundtable on the Crown of the Continent and the Montana National Drought Resiliency Project. Her commitment to environmental and conservation matters led her to serve as a board member for the Society for Conservation Biology’s Working Group on Religion and Conservation Biology. In this role, she and a colleague developed best practices for scientists conducting research in faith and indigenous communities on an international scale. Educationally, Susan holds a Bachelor of Science in biology and a Master of Science in natural resources management. She calls Bozeman, Montana home, where she resides with her family.