Brianna Cunliffe

Next Generation Advisory Council Member

Brianna (Brie) Cunliffe is a climate justice advocate and writer. She currently serves as the Community Resilience and Engagement Coordinator for A Climate to Thrive through the Island Institute fellows program, supporting community-driven climate solutions in coastal Maine. 

She spent a season on the Grand Teton social science team through the National Parks Service Academy program after studying resilient community-building at Bowdoin College, where her 2022 honors thesis focused on the complex intersections of climate, energy, and conservation— work grounded in her fellowship with Dogwood Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting Southern forests and communities.  

As a trip leader and Wilderness First Responder with the Bowdoin Outing Club, she led trips from backpacking to canoeing across the state of Maine, focusing on cultivating an antiracist and LGBTQ+ affirming culture.  Growing up in North Carolina, camping and hiking on public lands with her family and section-hiking the A.T. as a Girl Scout empowered Brie to consider the reciprocal relationships between humans and the natural world and to harness her own power to work for justice. 

With trail-inspired poems and stories published in a variety of literary magazines, Brie is passionate about the intersection of compelling storytelling and community-driven solutions. She’s honored to be part of the team at NextGen in working to ensure the A.T. remains a wellspring of resilience and inspiration for generations to come!