Biography
Rebecca is the founder of RURBAN (formerly Roots Studio), a Cultural Arts Exchange facilitating IP protection and royalty licensing for 42 Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities globally. Over a decade, they’ve partnered with Patagonia, National Geographic, REI, A24, Chanel Foundation, NOAH, bridging art and Indigenous knowledge onto 5.1M + products and increasing artists’ incomes by 23%-300% annually. The Business of Fashion called RURBAN "The Antidote to Cultural Appropriation." Rebecca is a fellow of Echoing Green, Cartier Women’s Initiative, Vogue Business 100, Forbes Under 30, and WEF.
Previously, she designed map technologies for conservation, leveraging satellite data for climate resilience with MIT, The World Bank, WFP, and the Indian Government. A Fulbright Scholar and National Geographic Explorer, she studied human-animal coexistence across Indigenous communities. Her children’s book, Old Enough to Make a Difference (Abrams), inspires kids to be social entrepreneurs.