Phillip Yates

Work &
Case Studies

Selected work shows how CenterSignal’s history-informed communication approach supports public memory projects, Tribal relationship-building, place-based storytelling, land communication, civic engagement, and historically sensitive public issues.

Phillip Yates with a City of Boulder colleague and Tribal Representatives from the Jicarilla Apache Nation holding the ACRA national award plaque. — Phillip Yates, principal of CenterSignal, far right, with a City of Boulder colleague and Tribal Representatives from the Jicarilla Apache Nation after the city received an award recognizing Boulder’s Tribal consultation efforts. Yates helped coordinate consultations focused on using historical storytelling to build meaningful relationships.

Stone marker reading 'Site of Old Fort Chambers' near Boulder, Colorado — the training ground for men who participated in the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre.

Featured Case Study

Fort Chambers and the Sand Creek Massacre

Communication infrastructure for a collaborative historical storytelling and land stewardship effort with Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribal Representatives — helping Boulder community members understand the city's connection to the Sand Creek Massacre.

What it Demonstrates: Sand Creek Massacre communication, Tribal relationship-building, public memory, land stewardship, and community education.

Tribal Representatives, City of Boulder staff, and community members gathered together on Open Space and Mountain Parks land near Boulder, Colorado during a consultation visit.

Prior Public-Sector Work

Boulder Tribal Consultation and History-Informed Placemaking

Phillip Yates’s City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks work supporting Tribal consultation communication, public memory, The Peoples’ Crossing, Fort Chambers, and public education connected to the Sand Creek Massacre.

What it Demonstrates: Tribal consultation communication support, public-sector coordination, historical storytelling, public memory, and place-based engagement.

Public artwork and community gathering space in Niwot, Colorado honoring Arapaho, Cheyenne and Niwot relationships and historical storytelling.

Independent / Community Proof

Building Arapaho, Cheyenne and Niwot Relationships

An inaugural community gathering with Southern Arapaho and Southern Cheyenne Elders for Niwot's 150th anniversary.

What it Demonstrates: Community relationship-building, Elder-centered public programming, civic history, and place-based public understanding.

Tribal Representatives, singers, dancers, and community members gathered for The Peoples’ Crossing event in Boulder, Colorado, honoring relationships with Tribal Nations.

Prior Public-Sector Work

The Peoples’ Crossing: Honoring Relationships with Tribal Nations

A City of Boulder public gathering that showed how relationship-building carries through even when plans change.

What it Demonstrates: Naming and renaming communication, public memory, Tribal relationship-building, interpretation, and civic decision support.

City of Boulder staff land acknowledgment event with Tribal Representatives, community members, and public officials.

Prior Public-Sector Work

History Before Land Acknowledgments

Project management, research, writing, and rollout of the City of Boulder staff land acknowledgment, which was developed with Tribal Nations and the Boulder community.

What it Demonstrates: Historical research, public-sector communication, community engagement, implementation support, and follow-through.

Buffalo Road by Tom Myer, Native artist — a painting of buffalo silhouettes walking below mountains under a large yellow sun, representing Niwot, Arapaho, and Cheyenne relationships and historical storytelling.

Independent Proof of Method

Niwot Living History

An independent civic history and public education platform created to help the Niwot, Boulder Valley, and Denver Metro communities better understand Southern Arapaho Chief Nowoo3 (Niwot, Left Hand), Arapaho and Cheyenne history, and the Sand Creek Massacre, where Nowoo3 was mortally wounded.

What it Demonstrates: Independent public history, Arapaho and Cheyenne history, civic education, digital storytelling, and community relationship-building.

Prior Public-Sector Work

The Peoples' Crossing

Consultation coordination and public communication for the renaming of Settler's Park to The Peoples' Crossing in Boulder.

What it Demonstrates: Naming and renaming communication, public memory, Tribal relationship-building, interpretation, and civic decision support.

Community / Independent Proof

Niwot Native Art Market

Cultural programming as public communication — created with Native artist Tom Myer and the Niwot Cultural Arts Association.

What it Demonstrates: Cultural programming, public communication, Native artist visibility, community partnership, and relationship-centered placemaking.

Tree sculptures by Eddie Running Wolf in Niwot, Colorado — community public art honoring Arapaho, Cheyenne and Niwot history.

Independent / Community Proof

Niwot Tree Carvings

NiwotCarvings.org — preservation, interpretation, and public understanding of a community public art landmark.

What it Demonstrates: Public art interpretation, local history, community memory, preservation storytelling, and digital public education.

Prior Public-Sector Work

Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks

Public engagement, media materials, and community-facing explanations for visible public land and natural resource issues.

What it Demonstrates: Public land communication, natural resource issues, civic engagement, media materials, and community-facing explanation.

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Let’s Build Understanding That Lasts

Working with a place, public history, Tribal engagement effort, cultural landscape, or community story that needs more context? CenterSignal helps organizations turn history, memory, and lived experience into clear public communication that supports trust, learning, and future relationships.

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