Isabel graduated from UVic with a BA (Hon) in political science and global development studies. She specialized in political economy, and her interests can mostly be pinned at the intersections between community planning, ecology, and regenerative economic development.

She was born and raised as a third-generation settler on the lands of the W̱SÁNEĆ and lək̓ʷəŋən Peoples. Her time on the island has been interspersed with periods living in Spain and Thailand. Isabel’s work is informed by a global and decolonial perspective on conservation-based economic development. In her view, deep-seated social and ecological problems can be solved if environmental regeneration and economic development are co-evolving, community-led, and culturally informed. She is a dedicated supporter of IPCAs and Indigenous sovereignty, leadership and cultural revitalization.