Hollie was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma and is a member of the Cherokee Nation. She received her BS in Molecular Biology at Fort Lewis College in Durango, CO and went on to get her MS in Entomology at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Her graduate research was focused on honey bee health and wellness with an interest in sustainable land usage. She has returned to Tulsa to use her knowledge and skills to serve her hometown and tribal nation in securing access to food resources for all her relatives: from honey bees to humans.