Meet Our New Community Leaders.
The new year has brought revived leadership to the Fairbanks Climate Action Coalition!
Three of our founding Council matriarchs will be joined by six new Council members who have committed to two years in this role! We are so excited to welcome these dedicated volunteers who will bring their varied perspectives, communities, talents, and lived experiences to our Coalition.
With this new group, comes a new definition of our Council’s role in this work. Our original Council members were founders of the Coalition itself and focused on liaising with a particular working group as we crafted campaigns and grounded in our frameworks. In our search for finding this new cohort of leaders, we used a broad community approach to find a group of people who could meet FCAC’s changing and growing needs. To codify values into policies they will be stepping into a committee each with a focus on specific areas of growth in areas. Our main focus over the next two years will be in administration, membership, partnerships, and narrative strategy to help FCAC’s working groups, organizers, support staff, and leadership in building power. When these committees get off the ground this is another place to share your skills and expertise as members! With deep gratitude for the founding Council members, we are excited to introduce you to our leadership team!
Our Newest Council Members
Raised on Tongva and Chumash Lands in California and shaped by family, migration, and many nights reading speculative fiction, Jimena imagines and co-creates virtual spaces for learning at the North American Association for Environmental Education. She looks for moments to slow down and listen to people and their stories. She finds joy in being a part of a community that respects and celebrates our interconnectedness. Jimena is passionate about climate justice and education and is thrilled to serve as a Council member.
Jo is Afro-Taino of Guaynía, Boriken, colonially known as Ponce, Puerto Rico. They are an educator, community organizer, and nonprofit administrator currently living in lower Tanana Dene lands. They arrived in Fairbanks, AK in the summer of 2014 and have since called Alaska their home. Jo is active in various community organizations and projects centering the experiences of BIPOC and Queer people in Alaska. They have been involved at the University of Alaska as a staff and faculty member, working with students to develop their sense of identity, leadership and activism. Jo received their B.S. in Geosciences from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and their Masters of Public Administration from the University of Alaska Southeast, focusing on Equity and Policy. They currently serve as the Administrative Director for Native Movement.
Lynette Phạm was raised in Unalaska, Alaska (Unangam Tanangin), has lived in Anchorage, and has now made Fairbanks her home. Lynette is the daughter of Vietnamese and Visayan immigrants who made Alaska home through the fishing industry. Lynette has been organizing for climate justice, racial equity, and accessible education in rural Alaska for 10 years. The knowledge that has been shared, received, and given to Lynette comes from her ancestors and all over Alaska from the land to the sea, children to elders. With a strong dedication to the communities in Alaska, Lynette continues to learn to show care and solidarity with and for others.ce.
Katie Villano Spellman is a lifelong Fairbanksan, wife, mother, daughter, scientist, and environmental educator. She completed her undergraduate studies at Whitman College, her Masters of Biology at UAF, and her PhD in the Resilience and Adaptation Program at UAF. Katie currently works at the UAF International Arctic Research Center and the UAF Climate Scholars Program of the Honors College. Her research focuses on effects of climate on plants in Alaska (particularly berries) and innovations in climate change teaching and learning. She has a particular passion for community and citizen science as a pathway to climate action, research and learning.
Kristin is originally from Wisconsin but has called Fairbanks home since 2004. She teaches, strategies, and conducts social science research to try to improve communication at the interface of science and society to respond to a changing climate. She has a doctorate from George Mason University in strategic communication where she worked with the Center for Climate Change Communication and an MS and BA from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Prior to starting her research career, she spent nearly a decade helping scientists communicate their work in agencies, non-profit, and academic settings. In her free time, she loves spending time outdoors in every season, cooking, crafting, and spending time with her dogs, family, and friends.
Kyla grew up on Tutelo and Saponi Lands in Virginia exploring the outdoors and hanging out with dogs. She moved to Fairbanks about two years ago to work towards a master's degree in natural resources & environment at UAF. She previously earned a bachelor's degree in environmental science at Virginia Tech (Catawba Lands) with a focus in wetland science and green engineering. Outside of school and work you can catch her hiking, skijoring, running, skiing, crafting, reading, or napping with her dog. Kyla is excited to be a part of the Council to help work towards a more sustainable future for Fairbanks and Alaska!
Our Returning Council Members
Cathy (she/her) was born in Wisconsin and raised in various suburban settings. In 1988 Cathy flew up to Fairbanks for a summer job working as a physical therapist and immediately fell in love with the land and people here and has called it home ever since. The moral and spiritual imperatives to step into climate action compelled her to join others to help found FCAC. Climate Justice work has also raised her awareness to also be working actively on Anti-Racism and Decolonization efforts. At meetings you’ll typically find Cathy knitting to help center herself and listen better. Married for almost 30 years and the mother of 2 wonderful daughters, Cathy continues to revel in sharing time with them and with friends out on the land in Alaska whether it's cross-country skiing, kayaking, canoeing, hiking or sharing stories, playing games and laughing.
Enei is of the Diné & Tohono O’odham nations, she is Tachiinii and To’dichiinii clans. Her partner is of the Gwich’in nation from Arctic Village, Alaska; together they parent four children. Enei is a longtime community organizer, trainer, facilitator, and advocate around issues of environmental justice, economic justice, climate justice, and the rights of Indigenous peoples. Enei is a co-founder of and active member of the Fairbanks Climate Action Coalition and the Black Mesa Water Coalition. She has served on various national social justice boards, she was named one of Utne Readers “50 visionaries who are changing our world," but more importantly she is a dirt loving, vegetable growing, fabric addicted, bookworm, and a fierce mother. She was educated both on Dinétah --the land of her people-- and the halls of Stanford University. She lives in Fairbanks, Alaska with her partner and children while currently serving as the Executive Director at Native Movement.
Princess Daazhraii Johnson (Neet'saii Gwich'in) lives on the traditional territory of lower Tanana Dene lands in Alaska. She is a writer/ director/ producer/ actor and is committed to building more narrative sovereignty for other Alaska Native filmmakers and working towards a just transition off of fossil fuels. Her short Gwich'in language film, "Diiyeghan Naii Taii Tr'eedaa", is part of the Reciprocity Project, and named one of the 'Brightest Stars' of the 2022 ImagineNative Film Festival. She is a Sundance Film Alum, a Nia Tero Storytelling Fellow, and Emmy-nominated writer and producer for the Peabody award-winning PBS Kids series "Molly of Denali". She is a founding member of the Fairbanks Climate Action Coalition and is humbled to sit on the boards of NDN Collective, Native Movement, the Institute of American Indian Arts.
