Elena Maria Teare comes from a research-activist background in global Indigenous land rights, climate justice, and nonprofit communications. After earning a master’s in International Affairs, Elena worked with a small think tank producing research covering human rights violations by corperations operating in the Global South. In her role at Amazon Watch, Elena worked in communications amplifying the effects of oil extraction, mining, and agricultural operations on Indigenous communities' health, safety, and human rights throughout the Amazon Basin. They are a certified Childbirth Educator, trained doula, and volunteer at her local free community health clinic.