With over 15 years of experience working on a wide variety of issues and for diverse organizations, Erin Farris-Olsen, founder of EFO Consulting, is known for pairing visioning with their acumen for implementation to make what may feel like a “dream” become reality. EFO will work directly with you to understand your future impact, look at the steps and resources your team needs, and honestly evaluate how best they can help you get there.Guided by the values of Community, Collaboration, Family, Optimism, and Humility, Erin’s vision is that we continue to un learn and re create our ways to reach a healthy relationship with each other, our community, and the earth. As a Gallup CliftonStrengths® enthusiast, her strengths as a Communicator, Developer, Futurist, Achiever, and WOO (Winning Over Others), define working with Erin well. Most importantly, Erin finds fulfillment in working with community leaders to bring their solutions to the world that greatly needs them.My services are primarily in Policy, Law, and Organizational Effectiveness

Lead the Federation's operations in Montana, North and South Dakota, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and Hawaii. Directed implementation of NWF’s Tribes and Indigenous Peoples Enhancement Strategy.

Worked at the intersection of large landscape conservation and community health. Assisted community leaders in obtaining funding for projects relating to revitalization, recreation, outdoor education, and value-added agriculture. Assisted in diversity, equity, and inclusion work among staff and board, including cultural easements honoring indigenous practices on private land.

Managed all operations, including development, program management, and staff supervision. Coordinated information sharing and storytelling among a network of over fifty community based watershed organizations. Multiplied the organizational budget for the Montana Watershed Coordination Council through revenue diversification as well as designed and grew the Watershed Fund subgrant program to over $300,000. Managed cooperative agreements with the United States Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Natural Resource Conservation Service, Montana Department of Environmental Quality, and Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. Led the campaign for passing stream gage coordination legislation in the 2019 Montana legislative session.

Carried out public interest environmental litigation and lobbying. Coordinated online and in-person training on topics pertinent to community based conservation. Litigated numerous cases involving the National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act (Grizzly, Lynx), Montana’s Constitutional Public Right to Know, Indian water right settlements, United States Forest Service travel planning policy, and Montana Environmental Policy Act. Defeated harmful water and land use legislation in the 2015 Montana legislative session. Established legal precedent regarding groundwater and surface water connectivity before the Montana Supreme Court. Advised indigenous leaders on reserved water right settlements.

Coordinated statewide access to justice initiatives between multiple legal service partners. Educated members of the Bar regarding justice gaps and opportunities to meet community legal needs through pro bono, limited scope, and modest means representation. Provided training for attorneys and law students in key practice areas.

Facilitated Court Help Program planning, creation, and implementation of program performance measures, and advanced successful strategies to maintain program funding through the Montana State Legislature. Administered the Court Help Program, consisting of six self help law centers, over twenty remote service locations, and nine professional positions. Recruited, hired, and trained self help law center staff. Managed annual program budget. Developed legislative strategies including program performance measures to maintain program funding. Developed and implemented program protocols based on legal research of Montana law, relevant court procedures, and legal ethic considerations. Drafted and revised self represented litigant forms, including, but not limited to: complaints, answers, motions, findings of fact and conclusions of law, and proposed orders. Form subjects include, inter alia: Family Law, Landlord/Tenant, Small Claims, Consumer Law, and Small Estates. Collaborated with the State Bar of Montana, State Law Library, and Montana Legal Services Association to promote access to justice projects and enhance public perception of the court system.

Served as a law clerk to Honorable Justice Beth Baker and former Justice W. William Leaphart. Drafted and finalized judicial opinions. Researched legal issues presented to the Court. Summarized briefs for judicial conferences. Reviewed submitted briefs for compliance with statutory filing requirements. Attended and published minutes for public meetings.

Drafted the Guide to Public Participation in Belize. Composed internal memos and completed legal research on the National Environmental Policy Act as compared to other national environmental statute schemes. Summarized United States land policy as applied to Indian territories for comparison in other countries.

Drafted internal memos and grant proposals. Prepared a report on domestic environmental law as applied to tribes for the Fort Belknap Indian Community. Researched collaboration techniques and instances of legal collaboration for tribes and environmental organizations worldwide.

Drafted a legal memorandum on the purpose of the Montana Wilderness Study Act and application to proposed trail system in the West Pioneers Wilderness Study Area. Researched relevant federal administrative actions and civil litigation strategies. Monitored developments in federal standing requirements for third party plaintiffs.