Fort Washakie, WY – The Wind River Development Fund (WRDF) announced that Emily Norum has been selected into the Economic Recovery Corps (ERC) Fellowship Program and she will be working with WRDF to implement its outdoor recreation projects. The ERC program is a $30 million cooperative agreement between the Economic Development Administration (EDA) and the International Economic Development Council (IEDC). The program places an economic development professional at WRDF as one of 65 fully-paid fellowship positions nationally.
“We are excited to welcome Emily into the fellowship program and join our team as we implement more than $4 million in outdoor recreation projects on the Wind River Reservation,” stated Paul F. Huberty, Executive Director at the Wind River Development Fund. “Already, our team has invested more than $700,000 across three projects, including the Lakes Projects, the Playground Project at Eastern Shoshone Tribal Health, and the Fort Washakie baseball fields. We have significantly more work to accomplish in 2026 and we look forward to having Emily join an already fantastic team.”
Speaking about the opportunity to work in Wind River, Norum commented, “I am thrilled to be joining WRDF as the new Economic Recovery Corps Fellow. WRDF has already accomplished so much with their outdoor recreation projects and I am eager to join the team as we move towards successfully completing this work. I look forward to connecting with the community on the Wind River Reservation and to help further economic development in the region.”
Norum received her bachelor of arts degree from Hamilton College in New York. Previously, she worked for NACDC Financial Services as a Workforce Project Assistant supporting the $45 million Economic Development Administration’s Build Back Better Regional Challenge
grant project for workforce and professional development. She also worked as a Project Manager for Indigenous Impact Co., a consulting and management company driving systems change through values-based strategic planning.
Erika Warren-Yarber, WRDF’s Chief Operating Officer, said, “We are happy to welcome Emily as our new Economic Recovery Corps Fellow. She joins us at a critical time to help implement our outdoor recreation strategy. Emily will be instrumental in creating outdoor recreation opportunities for our community members and visitors on the Wind River Reservation.”
The Economic Recovery Corps Program is a multi-year, collaborative initiative designed to accelerate economic development in distressed communities and regions throughout the U.S. The program connects organizations with the talent and capacity needed to advance new ways of economic development that promotes economic resilience and transformative change.
For more information about the Wind River Development Fund and its affiliated organization Wind River Sage Fund, visit wrdf.org and wrsagefund.org.
Wind River Development Fund is a non-profit, Native Community Development Financial Institution located in Fort Washakie, WY. The mission of the Wind River Development Fund is to provide financial opportunities to stimulate economic development on the Wind River Indian Reservation, to promote self-sufficiency, self-determination, and an enhanced quality of life for the Reservation community.
