Qualla ᏆᎳ (qua-la) Ketchum is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and grew up within the Nation's boundaries in what is occupied by the state of Oklahoma. She holds a B.S. and M.S. in Biosystems Engineering from Oklahoma State University and a PhD in Engineering Education from Virginia Tech. Her research interests include decolonizing engineering work and curriculum, the power of place and place-based education & research, and community-based science and engineering particularly in the area of hydrology and groundwater monitoring. Dr. Ketchum is the engineering program coordinator for the Engineering & Community Practice graduate program and teaches the project-based cornerstone course for the program.