Teika Newton, MSc

Despite leading a team small enough to fit in a canoe with room to spare, Teika delivers continental reach. Since launching in 2023, she’s delivered 15 projects across the 70,000 sq km Rainy-Lake of the Woods watershed, ranging from $20K field studies to $500K+ multiyear programs. Now also leading the International Rainy-Lake of the Woods Watershed Forum, she annually brings 30+ agencies, governments, and Indigenous nations to the table, turning complex science and policy into actionable water and climate solutions. Even when U.S. federal offices faltered, Teika kept the annual 160-person Forum running, safeguarding cross-border collaboration. In 2025, she secured $395K for a three-year phosphorus management plan—attacking algae blooms at the source—and is modernizing the charity’s internal gears, all proving a tiny team can still make an outsized splash.