2025-2026 Drumbeats Alaska Consortium's Leaders in Indigenous Food and Energy (LIFE) Scholars Program
Matthew Anderstrom
Matthew Anderstrom is a member of the Yakutat Tlingit Tribe, where he serves as the Food Sovereignty Coordinator. With an interest in Environmental Science and Sustainable Energy, his vision is to see subsistence food stores established in every Alaska community to give everyone access to traditional foods. He also aims to restore the traditional trade routes that once connected Indigenous communities through these foods. Having harvested subsistence foods since childhood, Matthew is already taking on this role by actively participating in planning future trade agreements between Southeast communities and with the Yurok tribe in California.
Crystal Dushkin
As the Tribal President of the Native Village of Atka, Crystal Dushkin is a leader in her community with broad interests in Rural Development, Environmental Science, and Tribal Governance. She envisions a future of true sovereignty, where tribes independently manage their traditional foods and are powered entirely by their own renewable energy sources, free from outside interference. Crystal is actively bringing this vision to life in her role as Tribal President, leading Atka's initiatives to expand its renewable energy capacity with hydrogen power and establish local greenhouses and poultry operations to ensure food security.
Kimberly Frey
A member of the Native Village of Kotzebue, Kimberly Frey is passionate about Environmental Science and Tribal Governance. She envisions a future where Indigenous food and energy sovereignty in Alaska serves as a powerful model of resilience and cultural continuity, where harvesting a moose and installing a solar panel are both profound acts of sovereignty. With a background in electrical engineering, her role is to bridge traditional knowledge with modern technology. She aims to contribute to community-empowering renewable energy projects, like designing microgrids for rural villages, and plans to mentor future Native engineers to help build a future where Indigenous communities thrive.
Eliza Jimmie
Eliza Jimmie is a member of the Northway Village Council and also works for the tribal government. Her primary interest is in the revitalization of Alaska Native Language. She envisions a future where Alaska Native communities have the right and power to govern their own food and energy systems guided by ancestral knowledge, breaking away from dependence on imported resources. Eliza believes that the right to healthy, culturally appropriate food is inextricably linked to Indigenous identity. She sees her role as one of partnership and advocacy, dedicated to removing barriers and amplifying the voices of Alaska Native peoples, whom she recognizes as the ultimate experts of their lands and needs.
Allison Johnson
Allison Johnson serves the Nome Eskimo Community as a member of its tribal council. Her fields of interest are High Latitude Range Management and Tribal Governance. Allison's vision is to see tribes managing local resources in true partnership with government agencies, moving beyond simple consultation to co-management. She believes this requires bridging the communication and understanding gap between tribes and the U.S. government to ensure that deep traditional knowledge is fully integrated into resource management. She actively pursues this vision through her dedicated service on her tribal council and Northern Bering Sea Climate Resilience Area Council (NBSCRA), providing the consistent and committed leadership needed to advance tribal sovereignty.
Kristen Maxie
A member of the Native Village of Napaskiak, Kristen Maxie is interested in Environmental Science, Tribal Governance, Psychology, and Justice. She envisions a future where traditional knowledge flourishes, communities have reliable access to subsistence foods, and locally-run renewable energy projects reduce both pollution and costs. Central to her vision is that these systems are managed by Indigenous communities, blending ancestral wisdom with modern technology. Kristen plans to play a learning and contributing role by listening to elders and knowledge holders, while using her background in psychology and justice to advocate for subsistence rights and uplift voices that often go unheard.
Moxie Moxie
A citizen of the rural village of New Stuyahok in the Bristol Bay Area, Moxie is interested in a holistic approach to sovereignty, with interests in Environmental Science, Ethnobotany, High Latitude Range Management, and Tribal Governance. He envisions a future where Alaska's Indigenous communities are thriving, with food and energy sovereignty as a lived reality. This future is powered by community-owned renewable energy and centered on traditional foods that are shared in ways that honor ancestral teachings. Moxie sees his role as a supportive connector, walking alongside communities to honor the wisdom of Elders, clear paths for youth, and help amplify unheard voices to ensure the future is guided by Indigenous leadership.
Zoe Okleasik
Zoe Okleasik is a member of the Nome Eskimo Community with interests in Environmental Science and Tribal Governance. Her vision is a future where Indigenous peoples are at the forefront of decisions affecting their food and energy systems, owning and operating their own renewable energy projects with traditional knowledge guiding the way. To achieve this, Zoe plans to continue her advocacy for Indigenous and youth inclusion at international Arctic conferences and policy discussions while pursuing a degree in English to empower the next generation of leaders.
Ashley Powe
Ashley Powe is a member of the Agdaagux Tribe of King Cove and works with the Tanana Chiefs Conference. She is interested in Environmental Science, Ethnobotany, and Tribal Governance. Her vision is to establish strong, safe, and accessible systems for sharing Indigenous knowledge, creating an environment where people can connect with their traditions without fear or competition. As a researcher, educator, and literary artist, Ashley sees her role as building pathways of connection and expanding knowledge that gives back to Indigenous communities. She uses storytelling to create welcoming spaces that nurture cultural identity and literary representation. Through her dedication she works towards building sustainable, community-focused programs.
Bertha Prince
Bertha Prince is Yup'ik Eskimo of the Algaaciq Tribe and a shareholder descendant of the Calista Corporation who works with Nuvista and AVCP Regional Housing Authority. With a focus on Environmental Studies and Tribal Governance her vision is for Alaska Native Villages and Corporations to achieve full energy and food sovereignty within the next decade. As the Executive Director of Nuvista Light and Electric Cooperative, she is already actualizing this vision by leading renewable energy projects in the Yukon-Kuskokwim region. Her role involves merging energy efficiency and climate resilience initiatives to protect the Yup'ik and Cup'ik way of life, recognizing that energy and food security are fundamental to preserving Indigenous cultures.
Avril Soonagrook
Avril Soonagrook is a member of the Native Village of Savoonga who has interned with Kawerak Inc. She is interested in Environmental Science, Ethnobotany, and Tribal Governance. Her vision is centered on the preservation of cultural practices and ensuring that every person in rural Alaska has access to the ancestral foods that connect them to the land. She aims to find solutions to food insecurity so that subsistence knowledge can be passed down to future generations. As a future fisheries biologist, Avril sees her role as building strong connections with other Indigenous students and using her professional skills to advocate for and manage the vital fisheries of the Bering Straits Region.
Adrianne Adivigun Takak
Adrianne Adivigun Takak, an enrolled member of The Native Village of Shaktoolik, is focused on Tribal Governance and the intersection of Mental/Behavioral Health with the environment. She envisions a future where Indigenous food and energy practices, grounded in balance, reciprocity, and respect, bring healing for bodies, communities, and the earth. As a future mental health provider, Adrianne sees her role as both a learner of traditional lifeways and an advocate for policies that support them. She intends to stand with community leaders to amplify their voices and push for systems that allow her people to thrive in body, mind, and spirit.
Jazmyn Vent
Jazmyn Vent is a member of the Huslia Tribal Council (Koyukon and Inupiaq) and works for the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission. Her work is focused on Tribal Governance and Stewardship. She envisions a future where Alaska Native communities have greater authority in managing their food systems and possess the power to protect their lands and waters from industrial threats. In this vision, tribal leadership and traditional knowledge guide conservation efforts to ensure cultural ways of life continue. Jazmyn sees her role as creating spaces for dialogue that center Indigenous knowledge and community priorities, ensuring that solutions are driven by the people who have stewarded these lands for millennia.