Amber Ebarb is Deputy Staff Director for the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. She is Tlingit (L'eeneidi, Raven Dog Salmon clan). Senator Murkowski is Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs.

Amelia Simeonoff, Sugpiaq from Old Harbor off Kodiak Island. She is a Cultural Bearer and Program Associate for the Behavioral Health department at the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. She works with many programs like the Garden of Roses, Door Way to Scared Place, Alaska Blanket exercise, Traditional Teachings with Elizabeth Sunnyboy.

I grew up in Kodiak a fisherman, tide pool explorer and nature lover. I moved away to attend school in Bellingham Washington. I got a degree in Environmental Science and Communication Studies so I could learn how to better communicate environmental issues to a larger audience. I came back to Kodiak three years ago and am honored to have a job working with Kodiak Tribes on their environmental priorities.

Annie Hoefler is the Legislative Director for Senator Murkowski. Annie previously worked on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee as professional staff.

Bailey grew up in Homer, Alaska and received her B.A. in Sociology/Environmental Studies from Whitman College. She served two years with the AmeriCorps VISTA program, first coordinating and writing a county health improvement plan in rural Oregon, and second, coordinating tribal home modification projects with the ANTHC Healthy Homes Program. Bailey joined the ANTHC Contamination Support Program in February 2017, and loves working with Brownfields/Tribal Response Program coordinators across the state. In her free time, Bailey enjoys baking, canoeing, skiing, berry picking, and ceramics.

Ms. Johnson is the Environmental (IGAP) Coordinator for the Native Village of Georgetown. Raised in Italy, she moved to Alaska in 2014 and soon afterwards decided to call this beautiful state her home. She received her MSc in Resource and Applied Economics from the University of Alaska (UA). She is currently a UA doctoral student researching water security in rural Alaska and adjunct instructor in economics. 

Blythe has been leading the invasive species program for the Kodiak Soil and Water Conservation District since 2004. Starting with invasive terrestrial plants she then expanded work into aquatic species such as reed canarygrass and crayfish as the needs were identified. Blythe has managed many projects to improve fish habitat in the Buskin Watershed and has helped to get the word out about invasive species throughout the Kodiak Archipelago.

I am first and foremost a proud mother of three sons: Canute, Aengus and Jesse. I have lived in Alaska most of my life with the exception of university and enjoy an active Alaskan lifestyle. I attended University in South Dakota where I earned a BS in Biology, a BS in American Indian Studies (and was honored to learn from direct members of AIM Wounded Knee 1973 as professors and lecturers) and upon returning home twelve years ago, an Associate’s degree in early childhood development from UAF. I grew up in a true Alaskan lifestyle, harvesting meat from a very young age. I was always fascinated with the woods, rivers, animals and spent hours in them in winter and summer trying to memorize everything I could about the plants and animals and was known as quite a horseman and tracker as a young girl. (Now I just try to remember what I went into the room for.) I was adopted into the Kluti Kaah tribe by my grandparents Harry and Ruth Johns at home in Copper Center and later in life on the Pine Ridge Reservation, into the Oglala Lakota tribe by my father Sam Two Bulls. I learned valuable lessons from these elders that led me to dedicate my life to working with tribes. I am a proud Irish American and spend time at home in Kerry/Cork, Ireland whenever possible, my culture calls to me and if I don’t get back every summer I feel a deep longing and heartache. As I walk the ground my ancestors walked so long ago I understand the value that culture has for a person. I enjoy performing Irish music, reading, fishing, hiking, kayaking, hunting, making jelly and working with children. For me the greatest reward is seeing a child come to believe in themselves.

Brandon Thynes is the Tribal Resource Director. He has managed the composting program for many years and it is now so popular that they sell it outside of Petersburg.

I am the Environmental Coordinator for the Louden Tribal Council in Galena, Alaska. We moved from Ohio to Galena in summer 2020, driving two dogs and a trailer up the ALCAN (an adventure we hope to repeat post-COVID) and settling into our lives in Galena. I've worked with IGAP for only a short time but am enjoying making a difference for community members. I'll be traveling home for the first time in over a year during ATCEM this year, but look forward to watching the recordings when I return to the office!

Clarita Lefthand-Begay is a citizen of the Navajo Nation and an Assistant Professor at the University of Washington’s Information School (iSchool). She has a PhD in Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences from the University of Washington’s School of Public Health. At the iSchool, her interdisciplinary research focuses on the protection of Indigenous knowledge in the United States, tribal water security, climate health and resiliency. She is the Director of the Tribal Water Security Project which examines the water insecurity challenges faced by tribes in the United States and around the globe. As a researcher and tribal community member, Clarita supports efforts to strengthen tribal wellbeing while respecting and honoring self-determination and cultural revitalization.

Carol Fletcher started at the Organized Village of Kasaan as an Americorps Raven working with the community in recycling and composting. I've been working in the IGAP program since 2015 and love what I do to help with environmental concerns in Kasaan. It's been an incredible journey meeting great like minded people here in Alaska.

Casey Ferguson grew up in Chevak Alaska. He is the Community Engagement and Stewardship Coordinator for the Alaska Pacific University, working closely with five Tribal Convervation Districts in the advancement of traditional and locally harvested foods and habitat convervation. He studied Rural Community Development with a concentration in Rural Commnunity Business and Economic Development Planning through the University of Alaska Fairbanks. 

Ms. McGee was born and raised in Fairbanks, Alaska. She has a B.S. in Biology from the University of Alaska and M.S. in Ecology and Environmental Science from the University of Maine. Ms. McGee has a broad background in water resources. This includes oversight of volunteer monitoring for the Union River Watershed Coalition in Maine and work on water quality criteria for the State of Florida. Since returning to Alaska, she has worked for the Water Quality Standards, Assessment and Restoration Program where she has been the lead for the Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment section since 2020. 

Charley has been a hydrologist with the DEC Drinking Water Program for over 14 years. He has traveled to many communities across the state promoting source water protection for public water systems. Recently, Charley has received his certificate to fly drones, which hopefully will be another means to help communities visualize the importance of where their drinking water comes from and potential risks to its quality.

Chris Newman is an Environmental Scientist with the United States Environmental Protection Agency. He has worked on the sustainable design and end-of-life management of electronics for over 15 years. Chris has connected staff at midwestern state environmental agencies with each other to identify and address common needs on electronic waste issues. He has also worked with stakeholders to develop environmentally preferable purchasing standards for electronics products, end-of-life management resources, and programs that help improve the management of electronic assets. In addition to waste electronics, he has worked on product packaging, organic waste, and scrap tire related projects.

Cindy has a background in Education and Human Development and has worked with many afterschool programs and child care centers, most recently The Boys and Girls Club of Alaska. Originally from Mexico, Cindy moved to the US as a child and spent most of her adolescent years running wild on the beaches of the Kachemak Bay and climbing trees in Homer, AK. Initially pursuing a journalism career, Cindy spent some time in poverty-stricken areas of Mexico and realized that her passion lies in breaking down barriers to education and empowering youth. Cindy now spends her time working with organizations that share those same goals.

Clara McConnell is a special projects coordinator with the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium's tobacco prevention program. 

Cynthia Annett is a Research Associate Professor and part of the Kansas State Univeristy Tribal Technical Assistance to Brownfields. She is also a Google Earth Outreach Trainer, working with Indigenous communities worldwide. Dr. Annett recieved her doctorate in Zoology from UC Berkeley, and has over 25 years of experience working with tribal environmental professionals to increase capacity for data management, digital mapping, and natural and cultural resource inventories. 

Cynthia Upah is the Civil Working Planning Chief for the Alaska District.

Darcy Dugan led the development and launch of the Alaska OA Network in 2016, and is now the network’s director.  She has worked for AOOS since 2009, first focusing on partnerships to ensure ocean data are available for safe marine operations, environmental stewardship, and decision making.  Darcy received a bachelors degree from Stanford University, and a Masters at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies where her research focused on coastal vulnerability in western Alaska. She served as staff in the Alaska Legislature and as a research associate for the Institute of Social & Economic Research at UAA.

Desirae is a Sr. Program Manager for the ANTHC Tribal Capacity and Training (TCT) program where she's worked closely with many of Alaska’s 200 + Tribes to build successful local environmental management programs for the past 13 years. Desirae grew up commercial fishing in her hometown of King Cove, Alaska. She is Unangax (Aleut) and is an enrolled member of the Agdaagux Tribe of King Cove where she served as their Environmental Coordinator for five years prior to moving to Anchorage and joining ANTHC. She has a BA in Sustainability Studies and Executive MBA in Strategic Leadership from Alaska Pacific University. Desirae enjoys spending time with family, especially her two daughters and their dogs, glamping throughout Alaska, and working on various art and home improvement projects.

Doug Huntman owns and operates Delta Backhaul Company, a boutique solid waste organization that specializes in Extreme landfill clean-up and backhaul projects. He was born and raised in Normal, Illinois - surrounded by a sea of corn and beans. A chance job as a part-time garbage man one summer planted the seed for things to come. After graduating from Illinois State University, Doug moved to Alaska in 1997 and began working for KTVA as a news cameraman and live truck operator. In 2006, Doug’s solid waste journey began when he accepted a position as an Environment Program Specialist with the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation. He worked for 9 years as a regulator with the State before accepting a position as the Program Director for Green Star. Doug is still active with the Green Star Communities program and assists tribes throughout Alaska with their pollution prevention program. In 2018 Doug started Delta Backhaul Company to fill a niche of small rural solid waste implementation projects. He has traveled to over 160 villages in Alaska assisting both City governments and Tribes, throughout that experience he helped develop and now implements unique “out of the Box” solutions for solid waste projects with the goal to reduce landfill impacts and protect clean-drinking water and subsistence resources.

Edda is the Science Director at the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council since 2014. She is managing the Indigenous Observation Network, an Indigenous initiative that combines Traditional Knowledge, observations and scientific research to sustain and protect the Yukon River Watershed, its resources and culture. Edda received a PhD in Arctic Science from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks in 2014.

Elise DeCola of Nuka Research co-owns Nuka Research, an environmental consulting firm based in Alaska and New England. For nearly 20 years, the company has worked with organizations, governments, and companies to help understand, prevent, or plan to respond to marine oil spills in a changing ocean.

Liz is a Yup'ik mentor and elder who has worked most of her adult life helping others heal from trauma and grief. In 2019 she started working with the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium as the Program coordinator for Behavioral Health department. She works with many programs like the Alaska Blanket exercise, Traditional Teachings and talking circles. She plays a good role in her position at (ANTHC) Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium.

Prospective K-8 teacher. Finishing college related studies to obtain K-8 teaching position within the school system. A n i g u i i n S c h o o l E l i m , A l a s k a Receptionist/Secretary since February 5,1990. Norton Sound Economic Development Corporation Liaison since June 2004. Board Member - Golovin Native Corporation since March, 2000. Board Member - Norton Bay Watershed Council. Advisory Council - Arctic Rivers Project.

Fred Jay Ivanoff, son of Herb and the (Late) Lena Ivanoff, Husband of my beautiful Wife Yannita, and father of 4 amazon kids, Makiyan, Arctic, Colton and LenaMarie.  I've been working for NSEDC since 2010 and full time in 2012, started off with just Beach Cleanups now with added responsibilities.  I love "playing out" with my family subsisting on what is in season all year long, hunting, fishing, and gathering.   

Dr. Gary Ferguson serves as Faculty and Director of Outreach & Engagement at Washington State University’s Institute for Research and Education to Advance Community Health (IREACH) located in the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine. Originally from the Shumagin Islands community of Sand Point, Alaska he is Unangax and an enrolled member of the Qagan Tayagunin Tribe. Dr. Ferguson’s past positions include providing clinical services to his home region at Eastern Aleutian Tribes, serving at the ANTHC as Wellness & Prevention Director and Senior Director of Community Health Services and as Chief Executive Officer at RurAL CAP.  

Huk Tgini'itsga Xsgyiik Gavin Hudson is descended from the Ts'msyen, Tlingit, and Haida peoples. He was born and raised in Metlakatla, Alaska, and he belongs to the Laxsgyiik Eagle Clan. Gavin is a culture bearer known for traditional songwriting, singing and dancing, poetry and storytelling, and potlatching or feasting. He is a co-founder of The Haayk Foundation, a nonprofit organization with the mission to support the movement to save Sm'algyax, the language of the Ts'msyen. Gavin has also served as the Ts'msyen Representative on the Southeast Alaska Language Advisory Committee for Sealaska Heritage Institute. Mr. Hudson has served his tribe in several official roles, including grant writer, grant manager, IGAP Coordinator, AFN Delegate, 3-term Councilman of the Metlakatla Indian Community, Annette Islands Reserve, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Metlakatla Power & Light, delegate to the U.S. Dept. of Energy's Indian Country Energy and Infrastructure Working Group (ICEIWG), Interim Executive Tribal Treasurer, and now, as the Field Representative of the Bureau of Indian Affairs for the Metlakatla Agency.

George Anderson serves as President of the Chignik Intertribal Coalition, which advocates for each member tribe in the Chignik region of Bristol Bay. George is also the Environmental Director for Ivanof Bay Tribe and works in their Anchorage office during the winter. In the summer he works at his home at Chignik Lagoon. George is passionate about maintaining healthy natural resources in Alaska, including habitat and all the wild and healthy foods for subsistence. His goal is to build long-term community partnerships focused on strengthening local food security and to build up the local capacity for the people of the Coalition Tribes. 

Originally from Northern Michigan, I moved to Kodiak, Alaska just over a year ago after graduating with my Bachelors Degree in Environmental Studies and GIS. My current position at KANA allows me to work with the ten federally recognized tribes on Kodiak to assist with the environmental priorities of each community. My focus is on water quality monitoring for ocean acidification, harmful algal blooms, and paralytic shellfish poisoning.

30 years of experience as an attorney and policy analyst working with tribal and conservation entities on water, subsistence and natural resource issues. Currently provide policy consultation services to conservation organizations and Alaska Native Villages related to water, human rights, sovereignty, fund raising and environmental justice issues. This includes collection of water quality and discharge data and researching and developing water resources and climate change adaption vulnerability and planning documents and instream flow water reservation applications; researching and drafting grant applications; research and writing comments and appeals in relation to land and water use actions by federal and state agencies

Heidi Rader is a life-long Alaskan. She has served as the Tribes Extension Educator for the Tanana Chiefs Conference region for 14 years. In addition to teaching hands-on workshops in roughly 30 remote villages in Interior Alaska, she also teaches workshops and classes Online, including the Alaska Master Gardener Online Course. Heidi uses myriad ways to get research-based information out to the public including social media, websites, a blog (It Grows in Alaska), Extension publications, You Tube, news columns, and even a mobile app called Grow&Tell.  

Jackie Qataliña Schaeffer, an Iñupiaq from Kotzebue, Alaska, is the Community Development Manager at the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. For a decade she has worked across Alaska holistically infusing indigenous knowledge into a variety of sectors she has experience in, including comprehensive planning, energy, housing, water security, and sanitation and climate change adaptation for rural communities. Her passion is to serve the indigenous people of Alaska and provide an indigenous perspective to all her work, including the importance and recognition of traditional philosophies, knowledge and lifestyles. Qatalina received her fashion degree from the American College in London, Residential Space Planning certificate and studied Interior Design at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. Qataliña has co-authored six regional Energy Plans for the State of Alaska and has worked with Newtok and Kivalina on community relocation due to climate change. She authored the Oscarville Tribal Adaptation Plan in 2019. Affiliation: Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, Community Environment & Health Email: jdschaeffer@anthc.org

Jeff Hetrick is the Director of the Alutiiq Pride Shellfish Hatchery (APSH) and the Alaska Ocean Acidification Laboratory in Seward. APSH produces Oysters and Geoducks for the aquatic farm industry and produces Littleneck, Butter and Razor Clams for enhancement of beaches in south-central Alaska. APSH has developed hatchery technology for Red and Blue King Crabs, Pinto Abalone, Giant Red Sea Cucumber, Purple-Hinged Rock Scallop and Soft -Shell Clams and Basket Cockles and conducted numerous growth trials. The Ocean Acidification Lab provides continuous data of water quality from Resurrection Bay to various data portals, provides discrete sample analysis for 15 coastal partners and conducts OA exposure studies on various species produced at APSH. Jeff Hetrick has over 30 years of experience in the Alaskan aquaculture industry. He worked 20 years in the salmon enhancement industry working for Private Non-Profits and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game before taking over as Director of the Alutiiq Pride Shellfish Hatchery in 2002. Jeff has operated an oyster farm in Prince William Sound and is a founding member of the Alaskan Shellfish Growers Association.

Joanna is in the Public Health Associate Program (PHAP) at the CDC and is hosted at the Maniilaq Association Office of Environmental Health in Kotzebue, Alaska. She works on a variety of environmental health issues there, such as rabies prevention, Healthy Homes, traditional foods for Elders, injury prevention, and safe water. In her free time, she is an avid birder, runner and cross country skier on the ancestral lands of the Inupiaq people.

Joe Slowinski serves as the Rural Alaska Program Director. He has a M.Ed. in Educational Administration and Supervision and has served as a K-12 Principal, K-5 Principal and K-12 Director of Student Services. In addition, he mentored pre-service teachers in instructional technology and has taught mathematics at the middle school, high school and university level. He has lived and worked in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas.

Dr. Julie Thorstenson (Lakota) is the Executive Director for the Native American Fish and Wildlife Society. She grew up on a cattle ranch on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in Northcentral SD, where a love for the land and the environment was instilled in her. Dr. Thorstenson earned a B.S., M.S. and PhD in biological sciences from South Dakota State University. Her research focused on cottonwood site selection using GIS for riparian restoration and incorporating culture into ethics education for scientists and engineers. Dr. Thorstenson has worked in Indian Country her entire career in various positions, including Wildlife Habitat Biologist and Health Department CEO for her tribe. She currently lives on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in South Dakota with her husband and three children.

Katherine Olson (Katie), Is from the community of Golovin where she is enrolled to the Chinik Eskimo Tribe. Katherine currently resides in Nome and is working for the Regional nonprofit corporation, Kawerak as the Environmental Assistant. Growing up in her home community, she has seen progress with keeping the community and landfill clean. Katie has helped on many projects from recycling within the community, schools, household clean ups, along with community wide cleanup efforts. She is eager to start this new journey with Kawerak and looks forward to learning more about making our healthy communities and what can be done to help not only our region, but our earth that is the provider to our way of life.

Kendall Campbell is the Tribal Liaison for the Alaska District. Kendall assists the District in the implementation of Executive Order 13175 and the USACE Tribal Consultation Policy. Kendall works with the District and the 229 Federally Recognized Alaska Native Tribes to pro-actively respond to Alaska Native concerns.

Kevin Hamer is the President and CEO of Akiak Technology LLC, the first Tribal-owned 8(a) certified company in SW Alaska. Kevin and wife, Sharon (enrolled member of the Akiak Native Community), started Akiak Technology to provide economic and financial resources to the Tribe. Kevin is the General Manager of the 501(c)3 Yukon-Kuskokwim Tribal Broadband Consortium (YKDTBC), dedicated to providing affordable broadband to YKD Tribal communities. He is a retired federal IT executive with 34 years of service across four Agencies. Kevin holds a BA from the University of Notre Dame and an MS from the University of Virginia. 

Greetings from Anchorage, Alaska! My name is Kevin Heller, and I am the Environmental Program Associate working with the Contamination Support Program at the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. My main projects include - developing a platform to connect Qualified Samplers with Qualified Environmental Professionals in Alaska, - drone development and idea creation, and - youth outreach and engagement. Prior to my current position, I served an AmeriCorps VISTA with the same program, a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mexico, and an Environmental Education Intern with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Let's connect!

Krista Heeringa serves as a Coordinator for the AK CASC Tribal Resilience Learning Network, which supports shared learning among Alaska’s Indigenous communities as they work together to address critical challenges posed by climate change. Krista was born, lives, and works in Fairbanks, Alaska where she learned to treasure the places and people that call Alaska home. Krista has supported Tribes in planning for over a decade. First, as the Community Planning Coordinator for Tanana Chiefs Conference, then as the coordinator for the UAF program Community Partnerships for Self-Reliance which co-developing research focused on strengthening local food security. 

Kristina Tirman is the Owner and Artist of Clean Current Jewelry based in Sitka, AK. The mission of Clean Current is to remove marine debris from the environment, find creative ways to redirect debris from landfills, and raise awareness about marine debris through jewelry and other art. 15% of profits go directly towards cleaning and protecting our oceans. In addition to cleaning beaches and creating jewelry, Kristina works as a Science Educator at the Sitka Sound Science Center where she gets to share her love and knowledge of the ocean with youth and adults in the community. Her hope is that every time someone wears a pair of Clean Current Jewelry, they feel connected to the ocean and are reminded to take care of it!

After serving 25 years with the US Air Force, retired Colonel Kurt J. Carraway is Kansas State University’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Research Executive Director. He directs the execution of research activities involving UAS through the Applied Aviation Research Center (AARC). Carraway also directs flight operations development and maturation of the UAS training program through direct supervision of the flight operations staff. He serves as Principal Investigator (PI) on UAS activities through the AARC and is the University PI representative to ASSURE, the FAA’s UAS Center of Excellence. 

Leigh is a member of the Native Village of Elim. Leigh has been the Coordinator of the Water Resources Program in Elim since 2009. She has also been the Watershed Coordinator for NBWC for the past 4 years. Liegh also serves on the Elim City Council. She graduated from Aniquiin Highschool in 2008.

Dr. Zender has had the great honor of working with tribes, cities, agencies, and other organizations and researchers on rural Alaska solid waste issues since 1999. Before that she worked for 5 years on Lower-48 tribal waste issues and she has visited over 200 landfills and open dumps. She is the Executive Director of Zender Environmental Health and has two awesome daughters, two awesome dogs, and one awesome husband.

Dr. Engels’s interest in microplastics began at sea during a 10-year career sailing and collecting oceanographic data with the Sea Education Association. There she spent many, many hours sorting and analyzing marine plastic samples. In 2019 she received her PhD in Water Resources from the University of Idaho, where she is now an Assistant Professor in the department of Natural Resources and Society. Her research interests today including questions about the distribution and abundance of microplastics in terrestrial and aquatic environments, the role of policy in regulating plastic pollution, and the dynamics and resilience of island ecosystems.

I am originally from Chicago but have called Alaska home for the last 9 years. Throughout my career I have worked for the Bristol Bay Area Health Corporation, the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, and most recently for the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services. My work with the Tribal Health Organizations gave me the opportunity to travel to many Alaska Native communities and get to know the amazing work done by the local environmental coordinators. I currently live in Eagle River with my husband, fur-baby, and new 5-month old son. In my free time I enjoy going on river walks, side-by-side adventures, and cooking.

Mary-Eileen works in Senator Dan Sullivan’s Washington, DC office as part of his legislative team on oceans and the environment. She leads Sen Sullivan’s efforts in combating marine debris, particularly the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act, which was signed into law in December 2020. Mary-Eileen has spent most of her career overseas, first as a U.S. Marine, and then as a State Department Foreign Service Officer. Because of this she has seen ocean and environmental challenges all over the world, and recognizes how connected all these issues are. She joined Sen Sullivan’s office in 2018 on a fellowship and has since joined the staff. She has a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering, a masters in economics and in her free time loves reading and winter sports.

Maryann Fidel is an Environmental Scientist at the YRITWC. She had over a decade of experience working in partnership with Alaska Native communities on community-based research that addresses local needs. She recently joined the Brownfields program working to address contaminated sites. She enjoys spending time in Alaska's wild places, boating, fishing and berry-picking; and traveling to rural Alaska.

Matt is the Natural Resources Director for Sun'aq Tribe of Kodiak, and has spent the last summer getting up to speed on "the crayfish issue," diving to remove as many as possible and record life history characteristics that may help with future management actions, and engaging with education and outreach to help get the word out about what the public can do to help this situation.

Melanie Hooper has been with Camp Fire Alaska since 2011, coming from a diverse background in youth development and community based programming. She has worked with programs ranging from outdoor education, summer camps and licensed school age child care programs with extensive experience working with Rural Alaskan communities. Currently as the Chief Operations Officer, she provides oversight and leadership to all Camp Fire Alaska operations. On a personal level, she and her husband along with their two Husky furballs love connecting with the natural world through fishing, hunting, gathering of wild edibles and gardening.  

Melany is the Environmental Health Specialist at Bristol Bay Area Health Corporation in Dillingham, Alaska. BBAHC Environmental Health provides training and technical assistance to 28 Tribes in the Bristol Bay region in areas such as sanitation (water/sewer/solid waste), air quality, food safety, institutional EH, IGAP and rabies prevention. Melany moved to Dillingham and began working in Environmental Health in 2017. In 2019, she joined the Backhaul Alaska pilot program as the Bristol Bay/Lake & Penn regional coordinator. As an outdoor lover and subsistence user in Bristol Bay, she enjoys working to help protect the environment and people in the region for generations to come.

Ms. Witte grew up in Virginia and now lives in Eagle River, Alaska. She has a B.S. and M.S. in Mining Engineering from Virginia Tech. Ms. Witte has focused her experiences on environmental management of natural resource development, including dust control in underground coals mines in Appalachia to monitoring water quality in transboundary waters of Southeast Alaska. Since moving to Alaska, she was the Environmental Coordinator for Georgetown Tribal Council and now is the lead for the Watershed Health and Data Assessment Monitoring Program (WHADA). 

Mike Brook works at the intersection of public health and technology. In his six years with the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, he has contributed in the areas of telemedicine, environmental health, climate resilience, and most recently in syndromic surveillance as part of ANTHC’s COVID response. He is the software designer for LEO Network. 

Mike Brubaker has been working on environmental health in the north for over twenty years, with a concentration on achieving safe, healthy, sustainable communities. Born in Juneau Alaska, Mike earned a BS in Biology from St. Lawrence University and a MS in Environmental Management from the University of San Francisco. He spent ten years as Community Services Director at the Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association, a regional tribal non-profit health consortium serving the Unangan people in Southwestern Alaska. For the past 12 years, he has worked for the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium where he directs statewide environmental health services.

Michael Manzo came to Alaska in 2002 and currently lives in a dry cabin on the Tanana River. He is originally from Northern Maine and is a Mi'kmaq Indian. Michael is boat builder, dog musher, Iraq War veteran and reality show personality currently featured in the National Geographic's Life Below Zero. He also has worked as an environmental health professional for the Maniilaq Association and the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. He has been a regular at the ATCEM conference for several years moderator for this session.

Michaela Paulette Shirley (Diné), MCRP, is Water Edge clan, born for Bitter Water clan, her maternal grandpa is Salt clan, and her paternal grandpa is Coyote Pass clan. She is a program manager for the Indigenous Design and Planning Institute at University of New Mexico. Michaela is also a PhD student in the UNM American Studies program. She is interested in urban planning, community development, and Indigenous planning, with interests in community-school relationships, biographies of landscape, Diné studies, critical Indigenous studies, critical regional studies, and hemispheric Indigenous comparative studies. Michaela has presented at numerous conferences offering keynotes, leading workshops, and serving on planning committees.  

Extensive experience in assessment, remediation and redevelopment/reuse of contaminated sites and properties, including Brownfields and Superfund Sites. Twenty Five years of experience working for the US EPA in implementing and managing the RCRA Hazardous Waste Program, RCRA Corrective Action, Federal Facility RCRA and Superfund Remediations at DoD and DOE Facilities and EPA Brownfields Program. Served as the EPA Region 8 Tribal Circuit Rider for solid and hazardous waste and brownfields programs for 12 years. Co-Director KSU Brownfields Tribal TAB program since 2014. Provides CERCLA 128(a) Tribal Response Program training for tribes Nationally to include Alaska Native Tribes.

Muradur is a masters student in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, working on water in Alaska. He was born and raised in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and worked for 5 years as Sustainability Program Responsible in H&M. In this role, he assessed, designed and managed water and wastewater treatment facilities in the ready-made garment industry for clothing giant H&M. He moved to Alaska in 2020 and has enjoyed discovering this state with his family.

Nancy McWilliams is a project coordinator with the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium's tobacco prevention program. 

Natalie Hanson was born and raised in Bethel, Alaska and is the daughter of Kathy and Rick Hanson, longtime residents of Bethel. Natalie graduated from Bethel Regional High School and went on to receive a BS in Geosciences from Boise State University and then an MS in Civil Engineering from UAA. She has worked for Nuvista in various capacities for 7 years and has been the Executive Director for 5 of those. 

As part of the U.S. Department of Transportation for 12 years, Neal has had several roles but is now a Community Liaison responsible for assisting the public in compliance with the Hazardous Materials Regulations. His goal is to make safe transportation of hazardous materials, such as energy products or lithium batteries, easier to understand. Additionally, he supports efforts by states, local governments, and tribes in emergency response and preparedness. Neal lives in San Francisco, CA. Please feel free to contact him for anything related to hazardous materials transportation.

Nicole worked as a scientist on commercial fishing boats in Alaska for five years before starting Net Your Problem. She turned the problem of piles of old nets into a solution by finding recyclers who can turn the nets back into the raw materials needed in plastic manufacturing. Net Your Problem has offices on the east and west coast and our goal is to recycle from the top 50 ports in the US. Alaska is a huge source of nets and lines that we collect, and we look forward to working with many of you in the future.

Oxcenia joined the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium in 2010 with a passion and primary focus on supporting local solutions to environmental challenges in rural Alaska communities. She is currently the Healthy Homes Program Manager where she collaborates with communities, Regional Alaska Tribal Health Organizations, and Housing Authorities to improve local home environments through educational outreach and home-structure modifications that result in better individual health outcomes.

Paul has been working at the Gustavus Disposal & Recycling Center (DRC) since 1994. When he started there he didn't realize that it was going to become his career but after about six years it was apparent to him that working with solid waste and recycling was what he wanted to do as his livelihood. Besides solid waste Paul is very interested in local government and has served on the Gustavus City Council. He loves reading Wikipedia and learning about everything from the Voyager interstellar space probes, to climate change to that fact that we have over 20 trillion red blood cells in our bodies. he likes to learn and he likes to be inspired.

My name is Paul Nielsen. I am the Director of Sales and Marketing for US Ecology Alaska I have been an Alaska Resident for nearly 40 years and have 31 years of Environmental Services experience serving the Alaska Market. I started in the Field, so to speak, and have wrestled drums across the tundra, been at the end of a hose, operated equipment, cleaned spills, packaged and shipped waste from all around the state, and have had an active role in Business Development and Sales Management for a variety of Companies including PSC, Waste Management, and for the past 14 years a key member of the Emerald Alaska, NRC Alaska, and now US Ecology Alaska Team. Married to Kristine for 36 years and have twin 21 year old College Students ready to break out into the world. Born and raised in Southeastern Michigan, a child of the UAW, but consider myself to have grown up in Alaska. My interests are in Aviation, outdoor activities -sport fishing in particular, gardening and raising perennial plants under the midnight sun, and enjoying the Alaska lifestyle of a pioneering spirit and a can do attitude.

Reilly is an employee of Zender Environmental and currently lives in Haines, Alaska. He has been working in the waste and recycling sector for over 14 years and enjoys helping rural communities with their solid waste issues.

Rena Flint is a Physical Scientist and Program Manager in the Environmental and Special Programs Branch of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Alaska District. Rena works for the Formerly Used Defense Sites and Native American Lands Environmental Mitigation Programs. Rena’s interests are to strengthen relationships outside of the Corps and to build upon that understanding to better deliver the mission. Rena is a Co-Chair for the Amaknak Formerly Used Defense Site Restoration Advisory Board and Project Manager for Wildwood Air Force Station Formerly Used Defense Site. Rena has been managing contaminated site corrective actions in Alaska since 2010.  

Robin Mayo is the Executive Director of Wrangell Institute for Science and Environment, better known as WISE. She believes that outdoor experiences are vitally important for every youth, as they are learning stewardship, teamwork, self-reliance, and healthy life skills. She enjoys hiking, kayaking, foraging, and preserving wild foods. Robin grew up in Fairbanks and has worked at a wide variety of jobs including sheep shearer, fiber artist, tour guide, backcountry expediter, gardener, and freelance writer.

Ryan has worked for over 24 years in water resources specializing in interdisciplinary applications of hydrology, water quality, ecosystem services, stakeholder engagement and governance from the tropics to Alaska. Throughout those years, he has worked as a consultant, academic, tribal non-governmental organization staff, and now with the US Geological Survey. Ryan received a joint PhD in Environmental Science (Hydrology/Agroforestry) from the University of Idaho and the Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza (CATIE) in Costa Rica. Ryan received his BSc in Environmental Science (Water Quality/GIS) from Western Washington University. His current position with the US Geological Survey, Alaska Climate Adaptation Science Center (AK CASC), includes research that involves investigating environmental change, hydrological modeling, and community-based research that integrates Indigenous Knowledge, social, water and soils science. Over the past 10 years, Ryan has been using citizen science, community-based research, and hydrological methods to investigate how permafrost dynamics influence biogeochemical fluxes of small and large rivers within the Alaskan and Yukon Boreal

Sarah has worked for ADEC for over 5 years and she provides technical assistance for rural Alaska for solid waste and recycling programs. 

Shanelle grew up in Alakanuk, Nunam Iqua, and Emmonak. She became engaged in environmental activism while in highschool with AYEA, because she was worried that climate change would disrupt the life and spirit we've had at home with the land and the water. She continues to work with AYEA today, to help teens discover, use, and amplify their own voice.  

Shivani Mathur is a fourth-year doctoral student in mineral and energy economics at the Colorado School of Mines. Her research interests include grid integration of renewable energy, distributed energy systems and improving energy access in communities. She currently resides in southeast Alaska and has interest in understanding how energy needs of rural communities across the state can be met efficiently. She has a graduate degree in public policy from Oregon State University and has previously worked with a nonprofit in India and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory on state and local energy policy and technology issues.

Sierra Fletcher of Nuka Research co-owns Nuka Research, an environmental consulting firm based in Alaska and New England. For nearly 20 years, the company has worked with organizations, governments, and companies to help understand, prevent, or plan to respond to marine oil spills in a changing ocean.

For the past 8 years, Stacey Cooper has served as a Health Assessor with the Environmental Public Health Program in the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services. She has assessed human health risks in many scenarios that have included eating shellfish from contaminated sites and assessing the risk of drinking water contaminated with perfluoroalkyl substances. She also educates individuals and families about the health effects of lead exposure. Prior to joining the State, she worked for the Anchorage Health Department as an Air Quality Specialist and for CH2M HILL as a Geologist.

Stephen Payton is the Regional IGAP Coordinator for Chugach Regional Resources Commission. Stephen Payton was born and raised in Seldovia. He was raised hunting and fishing in the area and developed an interest in the regions marine and terrestrial resources. He began his career working in various salmon hatcheries on the Kenai peninsula. This lead him back to Seldovia to work for the Seldovia Village Tribes Environmental Department in 2014. He has worked on many projects on air quality, water quality, and subsistence resources. Stephen is the Secretary for the Alaska Department of Fish and Games Seldovia Advisory Committee and is a director on the board of Seldovia Oil Spill Response Team. 

Steve has been the IGAP Director in Eagle for just under two years. He started during their transition from the 4 year grant to starting a new grant- otherwise known as the worst time to start. He stuck with it and is now one of interior Alaska's new and emerging role models. Eagle improved their landfill under Steve's direction and he is even looking to start a regional consortium. Steve may be new but he has a lot of great information to share already.

Tasha Mockta is the Brownfield and Outreach Coordinator for the YRITWC. She is from Chefornak, Alaska and is working towards her Marine and Environmental degree with Alaska Pacific University next fall. She has a good understanding of the coastal communities that YRITWC work with and enjoys working towards helping communities throughout the watershed in working towards healthier environments down the road. She enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, and working towards regaining traditional and cultural practices.

Birgit Hagedorn is a geochemist and worked in the environmental field for over 30 years including 2 years as Brownfields coordinator with the YRITWC.

Theodore (Ted) Hamilton has been working in the environmental field for over seven years, with Emmonak Tribal Council's IGAP, and his current position with Alakakuk Traditional Council's IGAP. He remembers when IGAP first came around. He helped spread the word, and enjoys sharing his experiences with others to help everyone be successful. He also enjoys flying the drone for his IGAP program, hunting, and many other traditional activities.

Thomas joined AOOS in 2020 as the first Alaska Harmful Algal Bloom (AHAB) Network Coordinator. After a B.S. in Biology at McGill University, he spent a year as a fisheries observer in the Bering Sea where he developed an affinity for Alaska and its waters. He obtained his M.S. in Marine Biology at California State University Long Beach, before returning to Alaska for his Ph.D. in Fisheries at UAF. He then worked as a stock assessment scientist for the Falkland Islands in the south Atlantic, and as a white shark researcher for the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Thomas is very excited to be back in Alaska coordinating the awareness, monitoring, research, and response to HABs – a crucial issue impacting public health, food safety and security, and wildlife populations.

I am an Ahtna Athabascan from the Native Village of Kluti-Kaah in the Copper River Region. I work at Copper River Native Association as the Youth Outreach Manager in the child development department. I have lived in the area for most of my life but my ancestors have lived here for thousands of years. I am happy that I get to talk about this topic and show lots of pictures. Tsin'aen

Trisha Bower is an Environmental Program Specialist for Northern and Interior Alaska for the Department of Environmental Conservation, Solid Waste Program and I am also the Track Lead for the Solid & Hazardous Waste at ATCEM. She has worked for the State of Alaska on improving solid waste management in Rural Alaska for the past 10 years. Before working for the State of Alaska, she worked in the Office of Environmental Health at Tanana Chiefs Conference, also working on improving solid waste management in TCC’s 38 tribes. She worked for TCC for 3 years in OEH and before that she was a Fisheries Biologist, also for TCC. As a Fisheries Biologist, she was in the field for 4+ months at a time and transferring into solid waste management afforded her the opportunity to start a family because the field work is more flexible. My experience includes over 200 landfill inspections, 50 technical assistance trips to rural Alaska, providing solid waste training to over 1200 K-12 students, and presenting at a least three conferences annually since my career in solid waste management began. Trisha has also been the lead instructor at 27 solid waste trainings held in urban and rural Alaska.

Biography Vanessa Tahbone is the Environmental Coordinator with Kawerak Inc. in Nome, Alaska. Kawerak is a nonprofit tribal consortium that provides over 40 different programs to the Inupiaq, St. Lawrence Island Yupik and Yupik people who reside in 16 communities of western Alaska and represents the 20 federally recognized tribes in the Bering Strait Region. Vanessa provides tribes and communities with technical assistance and trainings that focus on remediation of hazardous household waste and supports local IGAP workers in creating healthy and safe communities. She is a tribal member of Nome Eskimo Community and a lifelong Alaskan who enjoys the outdoors and practices traditional subsistence activities with her family throughout the year. Valuing the resources in the environment it has been important for her to work in the environmental field, keeping hazardous materials and waste out of local landfills. We all need to do our part to keep the land, rivers, and oceans clean for future generations.

Willow Hetrick-Price is the Executive Director of the Chugach Regional Resources Commission. She was born in the Prince William Sound and grew up in Moose Pass Alaska. She has a BA in marine resource management, and a MS in Natural Resources and Environmental Management and an MPA in Public Administration with a focus in Natural Resource Policy. Mrs. Hetrick has worked for CRRC for ten years and with natural resources her entire career. She currently lives in Anchorage at CRRC's headquarters on the traditional lands of the Dena’ina Athabascans.

Wilma has been the IGAP Director for over a decade. She has accomplished a lot of projects during her career. Most recently she has successfully backhauled all of the normal stuff that IGAP programs backhaul, but she also got all of the drums and chemicals out in 2020 and all the scrap metal out in 2021. She wants to leave Minto as clean as possible before she retires.