VIP Spotlight - Nikki Kaufman

Nikki is a graduate of the Alliance’s Conservation Leadership Institute (CLI), worked as a canvasser on a local ballot measure in 2016, and served as staff on two successful local campaigns (2018, 2020). She serves on the board of Integrated Solid Waste and Recycling and on the Advisory Council of the Alliance, and volunteers for the Community Safety Network. She currently is the social media manager for Vote Run Lead, a nonprofit training women to run for elected office, and win. Recently, I sat down with Nikki to discuss civic engagement and the community we both love.

This interview was edited for length and clarity

By Karyn Greenwood

K: Let’s start at the beginning. We all have a Jackson origin story – what originally brought you here?

N: My origin story is not unique. I moved out here in my early 20s, following friends from college and pursuing your typical ski bum trajectory. I worked at Pica’s, Teton Village Sports, interned at Teton Gravity Research, and skied, a lot.

Somewhere along the line, I figured out something really special is going on here. There are young people who are energizing this community. I’ve found a lot of joy working alongside these folks. I also find a lot of joy introducing young people to this work – work that I was lucky enough to fall into.

K: Tell me about that. How did you “fall into” this work?

N: Craig Benjamin, former Alliance executive director, wrote an article about being a local. That is how I first became aware of the Alliance. He said that he had lived here for years, skied all these lines, ran all these trails, knew all these business owners, but it wasn’t until he cast his first vote that he really felt like a local. That resonated with me, so I volunteered on the “I’m a Local” campaign run by Maggie Shipley. It wasn’t until CLI that I even attended a Town Council meeting. I made public comment on my CLI project – banning plastic bags in Jackson. I couldn't believe how empowering it was, and that my insight was genuinely listened to. It was the solution to my apathy about national politics – locally, your voice truly matters.

K: The term “local” feels so exclusionary.

N: It does! What if instead of asking folks “how long have you been here?” the question is “what are you doing for the community?” And not judging people for not knowing the history of this town, but instead welcoming their fresh ideas. Maybe you have a passion for food waste or wildlife – start tracking that and make public comment on this issue from your unique perspective. Not everyone has to throw themselves on the front lines of social justice or nonprofit work to be involved.

I have a friend who works for a hotel group in town. She was wondering if there was voting information somewhere that was in Spanish, for the LatinX folks she works with. Really, there is not. So, I wrote up some simple things in English about voting. She translated that and gave it to her staff. I was like, that is awesome! And this was the great part – she works in hotels. That’s a world I have very little connection to. That was a cool reminder – you don’t have to work for a nonprofit to be giving back.

K: During the election, we heard the sentiment that if you can’t make it work here, you can leave. The 7th penny didn’t pass. I’ve heard that people who didn’t support it didn’t see a connection between a 7th penny of sales tax and how that would personally affect their lives. Someone who is ultra-wealthy doesn’t need things like affordable housing or health & human services in the way that you and I do. How do we build that understanding so they support local issues that are critical for folks like us, at the ballot box and with their charitable giving?

N: Regarding people who are wealthy, a lot of them are donating to bigger, wider issues outside of our community – justice reform, climate change, etc. But are they investing into their neighborhood, into the actual community they live in? The ideal scenario is folks giving more money to local issues the community finds important. Then on top of that, we get young people engaged, organizing, and making public comment. Between those two things, we’ve got it solved!

K: And of course, you’re one of those very engaged people. You’re on the board of Integrated Solid Waste and Recycling. You’re on the Advisory Council at the Alliance. You’re a volunteer for the Community Safety Network, and up until recently, Hole Food Rescue as well.

N: There are so many people doing great work, I just feel like I am the most vocal.

K: That’s what I wanted to ask you about. Do you feel like you keep getting tapped over and over again?

N: My true passion is getting the right people in the job. I want to get more young people involved so I don’t have to be the face of this. Truly! Because when people text me about things, I don’t have all the answers. I turn to people like Clare Stumpf a lot – people who are experts in their field – and encourage people to take CLI. There should be a pool of people to choose from when organizations or groups are looking for leaders to be involved in something. I think there is momentum.

K: How have you experienced this momentum? And how can people tap into that?

N: A lot of people turn to me, text me, ask me for advice about politics. I love politics, but I wouldn’t say understanding political systems is my strong suit. I’m much more of a people person, I’m a sociologist.

In 2018, I truly got thrown into a local campaign not knowing the difference between Town Council and County Commission, not having taken CLI. I didn’t know about politics or even what a campaign manager was. I was scared to ask questions. It’s even intimidating when you’re confident in what you do. All the pieces of civic engagement were still just starting to come together for me. We shouldn’t be afraid to ask questions, even on things that seem like the “basics”.

My first advice to all young people who are ready for the next thing is this – Ok, you’re a raft guide and you care about rivers, here are five nonprofits who work on water quality – just start calling. People get intimidated because they may not have depth in their resume. But then get on board as a volunteer. The jobs will follow.

K: You make some great points about the barriers to entry when it comes to politics and engagement. Maybe they’re not as high as we might think.

N: The march on the square and the protests, that surprised and excited so many people. Passion and fire exist here, there just hadn’t been a forum for it. Then we had record turnout for the election! The protests and the community organizing that has happened over this past summer gives me a lot of hope about young folks paying attention and getting engaged in the things they want to see changed.