Founded by Alaskans in 1978, the Alaska Wildlife Alliance is the oldest grassroots, Alaskan-based group dedicated entirely to the protection of our state’s wildlife.
Meet our Board of Directors
Angutekaraq Qakvalria, ESTELLE THOMSON
Angute’karaq (Estelle Thomson) is an enrolled member of the Native Village of Paimiut, a descendant of one of the original five families of Paimiut. As Paimiut is a displaced tribe, her hometown is the Southwestern Bering Sea Coast community of Hooper Bay (originally Naparyarmiut- “the place of the stake village people”). Estelle has lived in Washington and Alaska communities over her lifetime including Hooper Bay, Bethel, Seattle, Utqiaġvik, Fairbanks, Kingston, Poulsbo, Suquamish, Kenai, Big Lake and Anchorage.
She has previously served the Paimiut people as the Tribal Court Program Director, a Tribal and Government consultant, and continues to serve as a member on her Tribes governing body, the Native Village of Paimiut Traditional Council. Currently, Estelle is a Traditional Council Officer and works as the Grants and Tribal Development Officer for the Native Village of Paimiut. She is also a steering committee member for the Western Alaska Partnership, a commissioner for the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, and a working member of the Catalyst Fund for Indigenous communities.
As a Native Village of Paimiut Traditional Council member, Estelle spends a great deal of time educating local, state and federal agencies on her village, her culture and historical and intergenerational trauma; organizations on protocols and procedures in Tribal Courts and Tribal, advocating for her People and is a liaison and does consultation between Alaska tribes in her region, the Department of Justice, the Department of Interior, the Department of Commerce, the White House Council on Indian Affairs and other local, state and federal agencies. She is also consults and works voluntarily with traditional healers and an international indigenous birthworkers network on a variety of projects and programs. She has been published in the First Alaskans Magazine on an article entitled “Preserving Traditional Lifeways” and in the Journal of Environmental Health on “the Impact of Climate Change for Alaska Natives”.
Her mentors and teachers in traditional medicine span every major culture group in Alaska, several tribes in Canada, the Lower 48, Asia, Hawaii, New Zealand and Australia. She loves learning and sharing her knowledge and will continue to do so in various capacities and venues for the rest of her life. She feels her most important job thus far has been a mother to her three intelligent, funny and incredible children.
CAROL DAMBERG- president
In the summer of 1985, Carol volunteered with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to monitor Dall Sheep in the Alaskan Range, Caribou in Prudhoe Bay, and vegetation abundance in the Susitna River Valley. She fulfilled her dream to live in Alaska by moving to Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, where she served as a National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS) Inventory and Monitoring Biologist for the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service). In 2015, Carol moved to Anchorage, and ultimately worked as the Service Regional Subsistence Coordinator, facilitating development of Federal Subsistence regulations and policies relative to the NWRS and Fisheries programs. Recently retired, Carol spent 30 years with the Service working in a diversity of locations as a Biologist (CO, MN), Refuge Manager (AZ, WY, OR), and Regional NWRS Operations Chief (CA). Carol has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Wildlife Management from Colorado State University and Master’s Degree from Mississippi State University in Wildlife Biology, where she focused on white-tailed deer ecology. Carol, and husband Doug, enjoy adventuring in Alaska’s great outdoors, gardening, and share a committed passion for wildlife conservation.
Diane Taylor
Diane dedicates much of her time to various nonprofits, from being a part of the Streamwatch program (Kenai Watershed Forum), to monitoring Beluga activity at the mouth of the Kasilof River (Alaska Beluga Monitoring Program), to being part of the Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team (COASST) for a portion of the Kasilof Beach.
Her passion for the outdoors is what motivated her to move to Alaska over 40 years ago. She recently retired from a long career as an Administrator and Adjunct Faculty member at Kenai Peninsula College/University of Alaska Anchorage. She holds a B.S. in Psychology from Weber State University, and a M.Ed. from the University of Utah. She and her husband live in Clam Gulch, have two grown sons, are active beekeepers and master gardeners, and enjoy traveling.
Ed schmitt- treasurer
Ed is passionate about preserving habitat for all wildlife in Alaska. Now a retired surgeon and rancher, Ed holds a BS in Molecular Biology and an MD from the University of Colorado. Ed began his involvement in environmental activism with the Colorado Whitewater Association and the Pikes Peak Cattleman’s Association, advocating for sustainable recreation and animal husbandry. In Alaska, his work with the Kenai Area Fisherman’s Coalition brought him to the Alaska Wildlife Alliance in 2014. If he’s not fishing, you will likely find Ed kayaking, rock climbing, mountain biking, hunting, or skiing somewhere in Alaska’s vast open spaces. Ed hopes that his children and grandchildren will still be able to experience the fish and wildlife that brought him to Alaska in 1987. He lives just outside Soldotna on the Kenai river with his dog, Josephine.
Emily Atwood-King
Emily was born in Alaska, but at nine years old her family traded their house for a sailboat and traveled for three years, ending up on the emerald coast of Alabama. She went to high school at Fairhope High, where she met her husband Sam, who she married in Valdez while working at a fish cannery. Emily’s parents raised her in the outdoors, instilling a love of all things natural, and observing and preserving wildlife has been a passion since she was a child.
Emily holds a BA in Biology and Biochemistry, with a minor in Photography from Southern Virginia University. Emily currently works at VCA as a veterinary technician and as a professional wildlife and portrait photographer. She is a freelance videographer and works with the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center to document the lives of their furry and feathered residents.
In her free time, Emily enjoys scuba diving, kayaking, hiking, traveling, and cuddling her four cats and one dog. Emily also sang with the opera and concert chorale throughout high school and college and competed as a USA boxer on the national level, earning the title of National Golden Gloves Champion and second place in the 2016 Olympic qualifiers.
JOHN MORTON- Vice President
John recently retired from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service after 32 years as a wildlife biologist in Alaska, California, Guam, Maryland and Wisconsin. He first came to Alaska in 1984 to work on the 1002 studies on Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. As an itinerant field biologist, John flew whale surveys out of Utqiaġvik and Deadhorse, observed marine mammal and foreign fisheries harvests on Japanese fleets in the Bering and North Pacific, and surveyed geese on Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge before completing his M.S. research on American black ducks. After earning his Ph.D. studying sanderlings on Assateague Island, John spent the 1990s researching endangered fauna in the Mariana Islands. John returned to Alaska in 2002 as the supervisory biologist at Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, where he has focused on novel approaches to monitoring biodiversity and adapting to a rapidly warming climate. John and his wife, Leslie, live and play on the Kenai Peninsula.
Peter EHRHARDT- Secretary
Peter graduated from the University of Minnesota law school in 1980. He moved to Alaska that same year and began working for a small firm in Bethel. After three years, he moved to Sitka and later to Kenai, where he resides today. Peter was a member of the plaintiffs’ trial team which obtained a $5 billion verdict in the Exxon Valdez litigation. For his work on that case, Peter received the 1995 Trial Lawyer of the Year Award from the Trial Lawyers for Public Justice. Peter was co-counsel in Re: Glacier Bay, a class action arising out of a 1987 oil spill in upper Cook Inlet which resulted in a $51 million settlement. Peter also litigated against the Sitka Pulp Mill for dioxin pollution of Sitka Sound. Peter has served many local boards including the United Way and Tsalteshi Trails Association. He is a lifetime member of the Nature Conservancy and passionate about Alaska’s wildlife.
Bradford Gessner
Bradford Gessner is a pediatrician and medical epidemiologist who completed his undergraduate training at Dartmouth College, medical school at the University of Florida, pediatric residency at the University of Colorado, preventive medicine residency and Masters of Public Health at the University of Washington, and Epidemic Intelligence Service fellowship with the US CDC in Alaska. For 20 years, he served as the Scientific Director and Chief Scientific Officer with Agence de Medicine Preventive (AMP), in Paris, France and Abidjan, Cote d’lvoire. AMP's mandate was to inform and promote vaccine policy in the world's most impoverished settings, primarily in Africa. His previous board experience includes Gavi, a public-private partnership whose goal is to increase vaccine access in low-income countries. From 2016 to 2019 he worked with Pfizer as the Global Medical Lead for Pneumococcal Vaccines, adding Lyme Vaccine and briefly COVID vaccine in 2020, and since 2021, he has served as the Global Medical Lead for Respiratory Vaccines. He is the author of over 350 peer-reviewed manuscripts from 40 countries. Dr. Gessner has lived in Alaska since 1991 and is an avid mountaineer, whitewater kayaker, skier, and explorer with a firm commitment to the AWA mission of advocating for healthy ecosystems and protecting wildlife for its own sake.
Meet our Staff
Chelsey Cook
Communications Coordinator
Chelsey first came to Alaska in 2014. After serving in the US Army, she began working as a mountaineering and backpacking guide, and the seasons she spent in the Alaska Range, ANWR, Lake Clark National Park, and other corners of Alaska inspired a deep love of the state’s landscapes and wildlife.
Chelsey has a Master’s in Creative Writing from the University of Cambridge and specializes in the intersection of the outdoors, conservation, and the human experience. She has written for numerous Alaskan organizations and outdoor publications, and has published work in National Geographic, ExplorersWeb, and Wide Open Spaces. When she’s not reading or writing, Chelsey can be found in the mountains biking, backcountry skiing, and mountaineering.
Joni Kitmiiq Spiess
Tribal Wildlife and Subsistence Liaison
Joni Kitmiiq Spiess, was born in Nome, Alaska and is of Inupiaq heritage. Joni practices and advocates for Subsistence. Keeping connection to people and the land ensures a direct link to honoring ancestral traditions. She advocates for these needs as an elected member of the Anchorage Advisory Committee for the Board of Game. She has experience writing books, Alaska Native Games and How to Play Them, Mittens and Mukluks and various State and National curriculum publications. As a long time educator in the state of Alaska, Joni saw and responded to the need for students to have access to literature that represent their culture and identity. It is one of her goals to continue this work. Most recently, Joni worked as an Archivist for Inuit Circumpolar Council and is working on helping make public documents from The Alaska Native Review Commission's written and public testimony from the Berger Commission is currently doing contract work for The Arctic Research Consortium of the United States.
JOSEPH MOLINA
Climate Adaptation Specialist
Joseph is a trained marine biologist and climate ecologist with 7 years of experience researching marine, estuarine, and freshwater systems from the lenses of ecosystem-based management and climate change. He holds a B.Sc. in Marine Science from Coastal Carolina University and an M.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Resources from West Virginia University. Joseph has led and worked on research associated with fisheries population dynamics, tourism impacts on coral reef systems, arctic macroinvertebrate assemblages, management techniques for fisheries, climate vulnerability, and human dimensions. His current research portfolio focuses on understanding climate change vulnerability for ecosystems in Appalachia and how conservation practitioners can promote resilience and equity in their strategies. In his free time, Joseph is a traditional-style rock climber, bird enthusiast, backpacker, and lover of a particular Siberian husky.
Leigh Kirchner
Development Officer
Leigh Kirchner brings a decade of seasoned leadership experience in nonprofit environmental advocacy and development to Alaska Wildlife Alliance. With a background that includes roles such as Advancement Manager and Director of Development and Donor Relations, Leigh has a proven track record in securing funding and managing donor relationships. Leigh is a graduate of Appalachian State University and Virginia Commonwealth University. She is also actively involved in community service, contributing expertise to organizations like Wild Virginia, where she serves on the board of directors.
Mandy Migura
Deputy Director & Marine Program Coordinator
Mandy is a wildlife biologist with two decades of conservation and management experience, with expertise in marine mammals. Throughout her career, she has participated in or led research studies about marine mammals, worked at vet clinics and aquaria caring for domestic and captive animals, coordinated government programs for endangered Cook Inlet beluga whales and stranded marine mammals in Alaska, and currently owns a wildlife consultancy business. Since 2018, Mandy has worked to protect Alaska's wildlife as Alaska Wildlife Alliance's Deputy Director, and in 2021 began developing AWA's marine program. Mandy has lived in the Anchorage area for over 15 years, and in her free time enjoys playing with her four rescue dogs, hiking, traveling, and reading. She holds a B.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences from Texas A&M University; a M.S. in Biology from American University in Washington D.C; and a Graduate Certificate in Environmental Regulations and Permitting from University of Alaska Anchorage.
Miguel Flores
Development Officer
For the last 7 years, Miguel has successfully supported major fundraising initiatives and grant-funded programs throughout New Jersey, California, and New York. His expertise lies in providing full lifecycle support for projects, including drafting grant proposals, managing project budgets, and ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements. Throughout his professional path, he has worked directly with low-income students, unhoused communities, and reentry populations. Miguel loves to build bridges between the perspectives of communities, program staff, management, and external stakeholders. He is also particularly interested in the inherent intersections between economic and environmental justice, education, and the long-term success of individuals and families. He holds a B.A. in English from Rutgers University and an M.S. in Public and Urban Policy from The New School.
Nicole Schmitt
Executive Director
Nicole has dedicated her professional life to grassroots mobilization and philanthropic administration. Nicole’s interest in Alaska’s wildlife began as a teenager, when she worked on the crew of a salmon setnetting operation in Kasilof, Alaska. She then studied geography and international development at the University of Denver in partnership with Peking University in Beijing, splitting her degrees between the United States and China. After completing her research thesis abroad, Nicole returned to the US to work in research and grants management for various government agencies and nonprofit organizations—including the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, Yosemite National Park, and the Global Greengrants Fund. Nicole was excited to return to Alaska to exercise her skills for Alaska’s wildlife, and since then has been recognized as an “outstanding young professional” in Alaska’s 2022 Top Forty Under 40 class. When she’s not in the office, Nicole can be found biking, running, kayaking, or climbing across Alaska with her dog, Riley.
SARAH PACYNA
Development Officer
Sarah has spent her professional career balancing the needs of wildlife, wild spaces, and people. Over the last 20 years, Sarah has gained significant experience in development, conservation strategy, and practical boots-on-the-ground capabilities. Prior to joining AWA, she oversaw the Audubon Mississippi Coastal Bird Stewardship Program, a program she initiated on behalf of National Audubon Society in 2014, where she raised $3 M in dedicated conservation funds. She also worked for the Wildlife Conservation Society managing multiple programs addressing threats to large and complex seascapes as well as long-distant ocean migrants over the globe. Sarah studied at Fordham University and Columbia University. When Sarah is not working, she can be found wildlife watching with her young daughter or spending time with her motley crew of rescue and foster dogs and their ring leader, the sole cat, Tony Baloney.
TERESA BECHER
Central Kenai Peninsula Coordinator,
Kenai & Kasilof Beluga Monitoring Coordinator
Teresa is a Natural Sciences student at the University of Alaska with a focus on pre-veterinary medicine. She retired from the California Highway Patrol in 2014 after twenty-five years of service as a peace officer and moved to Soldotna Alaska to start a new life adventure. She loves animals and has spent most of her adult life working with dog and cat rescue groups, in addition to caring for her many pets. Teresa has a previous bachelor’s degree in Government but returned to college to pursue a degree in the sciences. In the last year she has been given the opportunity to monitor beluga whales on the Kenai and Kasilof Rivers through the Alaska Beluga Monitoring Partnership, AWA and the Kenai Peninsula College. When she is not monitoring beluga whales or studying, she is hiking with her dogs, exploring Alaska and traveling.
Alaska Wildlife Alliance- Southeast Chapter
from left to right
Tommy Johnson
Linda Shaw
Irene Morris
Pauline Strong
AWA Advisory committee
Our Advisory Committee supports the Board of Directors in areas of strategy and outreach.
Bob Armstrong
Tina M. Brown
Valerie Connor
Nick Jans
Johnny Johnson
Andrew Josephson
Robert Glenn Ketchum
Dune Lankard
Michael McBride
Jenny Pursell
Kathy Sarns
Alex Simon
John Toppenberg
Lowell Thomas Jr. (In Memoriam)
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