Ecolibrium3 is pleased to welcome a new staff member, Tracy Bibelnieks. Tracy joins our staff as Special Projects and Data Strategy Coordinator. In this role, Tracy supports many different program areas in planning and implementing data strategy, collection, and analysis. Tracy brings decades of experience in using data science to support programs and projects targeted at disparity reduction, environmental justice, and community resilience.
Tracy has an extensive background in applied mathematics and academia. She has served as faculty at Augsburg University, the Executive Director of the Minnesota High School Mathematics League, a professor in the Mathematics and Statistics department at the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD), and as a data scientist for Hennepin County, where she worked on disparity reduction efforts.
At UMD, Tracy did research with undergraduate and graduate students on data-driven approaches aimed at developing actionable insights for social and environmental justice issues, which is how she came to know Ecolibrium3. For one project, Tracy and her students worked with St. Louis County Department of Public Health and Eco3 to update the health status of residents in the county at a census tract level. Other research developed a novel approach to using data to tell the story of food insecurity in Lincoln Park. The insights from that research have been used to secure grants and address community needs in the Lincoln Park neighborhood.
In 2021, Tracy joined the Eco3 VISTA program to continue applying her creativity and passion to data-driven problem solving. She assisted with grant applications, program support, and Eco3 projects. Tracy is happy to be returning to Ecolibrium3, using her experience and talents in all things data!
Tracy and her family have a love for the outdoors, which makes Duluth a perfect place to call home. They enjoy hiking, adventuring and spending time north of Grand Marais on the lakes and trails of the BWCA. Welcome, Tracy!