Our Team

Matthew Druckenmiller - Director

Dr. Matthew Druckenmiller (PI) serves as the NNA-CO Director, overseeing the overall coordination and daily operations of the office and its team. He is also responsible for the office’s cooperation with NSF’s NNA Working Group to ensure alignment with NSF strategies and programming. He brings over 15 years of transdisciplinary research experience in Arctic and sub-Arctic regions, often in close collaboration with Arctic communities. He also brings experience in participating with a host of national and international Arctic research and policy institutions, including the Polar Research Board (PRB), the Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee (IARPC), the Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH), and the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC).

Nikoosh Carlo - Advisory Boards Lead & Co-Chair

Dr. Nikoosh Carlo (Co-PI) is Koyukon Athabascan, CEO of CNC North Consulting, and the co-chair of the NNA-CO advisory boards. In this role she leads the boards in ensuring the work of the NNA-CO is grounded in our guiding principles and that the boards’ guidance is integrated into NNA-CO activities. As the founder and chief strategist of CNC North Consulting, Dr. Carlo, helps clients develop a vision for their climate change and Arctic priorities and build momentum to achieve change. She has worked across political divides for State Senators, Ambassadors, and Governors on issues of Arctic governance. Her true passion is working with organizations that support climate change equity, and the well-being of Arctic residents and Indigenous peoples.

James Temte - Community Extension Office Lead

James Temte (Co-PI) is a member of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe and leads the NNA-CO Community Extension Office at Alaska Pacific University (APU). James is currently the Director of APU’s Office of Research and Community Engagement. He supports current and future efforts of Indigenous organizations and Indigenous-led collaborations to engage Arctic Indigenous peoples and communities in the work of the NNA-CO. James brings over 15 years of experience working with Tribes and Tribal organizations on social and environmental science initiatives.

Anne Gold - Education and Outreach Lead

Dr. Anne Gold (Co-PI) is leading the NNA-CO education and outreach activities. She is the Director of the CIRES Education & Outreach Program and brings more than a decade of experience connecting scientists, communities, learners and teachers through meaningful educational activities around Geoscience topics and expertise in measuring the impact of these efforts.

Noor Johnson - Social Sciences & Knowledge Management Lead

Dr. Noor Johnson (Co-PI) is leading efforts to support the involvement of social scientists and social science methods within the NNA community. She will also support efforts to build capacity for community-led data management and recognition of Indigenous data sovereignty. Noor is a Research Scientist at NSIDC, where she is PI and co-lead of the Exchange for Local Observations and Knowledge of the Arctic. An environmental anthropologist, Noor has more than a decade of experience working in collaborative, interdisciplinary research environments focusing on the involvement of Arctic residents in environmental change research and policy.

Elena Sparrow - Education & Outreach Field Office Co-Lead

Dr. Elena Bautista Sparrow serves as co-lead of the NNA-CO’s education and outreach field office at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. She is a Research Professor and Education Outreach Director at UAF’s International Arctic Research Center, bringing more than 20 years experience working with educators and community members in engaging youth in environmental and earth  science in Alaska and beyond. She established the Alaska GLOBE program a year after the  GLOBE program, currently a 122- country citizen science network, launched worldwide in 1995.

Katie Spellman - Education & Outreach Field Office Co-Lead

Dr. Katie Villano Spellman is a life-long Alaskan and co-leads the education and outreach field office at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Dr. Spellman is a Research Associate Professor at UAF’s International Arctic Research Center who is passionate about plant ecology, education and community-centered science. She works collaboratively within the NNA-CO to support and guide educator and youth engagement in the NNA community.

Twila Moon - Research Synthesis Lead

Dr. Twila Moon is leading the NNA-CO efforts to support and expand convergence research and to enhance connections between NNA research activities and national-level decision makers. Dr. Moon is Deputy Lead Scientist at NSIDC and brings more than a decade of experience in Greenland-focused research and expertise in science-stakeholder communication.

Andy Barrett - Open Science Lead

Andy Barrett is leading NNA-CO efforts to promote and support open science within the NNA community.  Andy is an Associate Scientist at NSIDC with more than two decades of experience in cryospheric research in the Arctic, as well as in temperate latitudes; dataset production; data analysis; and scientific software development.

Jessica Kaagyugaq Lewis-Nicori - Indigenous Engagement Coordinator

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Jessica Kaagyugaq Lewis-Nicori is Yup’ik from Chefornak and serves the NNA-CO as the Indigenous Engagement Coordinator. She supports the Community Extension Office at APU’s goals using her background in Wildlife Biology and Conservation, secondary education, and gained knowledge of ecosystem workings, including the importance of the land, that come with growing up in a Yup’ik small community to support the NNA-CO.

Jenna Vater - Program Manager

Jenna Vater serves the NNA-CO as Program Manager. She provides community coordination and engagement, office management, and support to research, data management, and educational outreach activities. Jenna’s background is in working with Indigenous communities to center their perspectives and priorities in healthcare and higher education.

Rebekah Agnauruq Arnold -

Rebekah Agnauruq (AHG-noo-ruk) Arnold is the Indigenous Engagement Coordinator supporting the NNA-CO Community Extension Office at Alaska Pacific University. Rebekah was born and raised in Kikikitagruk (Kotzebue) Alaska. Rebekah is a member of the Native Village of Kotzebue tribe, and is of Inuit descent. Rebekah holds a B.A. in Business Administration Management from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. Rebekah has experience in Human Resources, Alaska Native Corporation Shareholder Relations, Higher Education student relations, Tribal Healthcare Training and Development, and community relations.

Alyse Thurber - Education and Outreach Associate

Alyse Thurber is an Education and Outreach Associate at CIRES. She is currently working as a curriculum developer on the QGreenland project. Prior to joining the CIRES Education and Outreach, Alyse was most recently a high school science teacher in Genoa, IL. Before becoming a classroom teacher, Alyse worked as a program instructor at Kestrel Educational Adventures in Gloucester, MA and was a GK-12 teaching fellow at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Alyse earned her M.S. in curriculum and instruction at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her BA in Biology at Middlebury College. She believes that encouraging a passion for science and the natural world in students is best done through engaging in authentic science questions.

Sarah Clement - Education and Outreach Associate

Sarah Clement is an Education and Outreach Associate for the UAF Education and Outreach Field Office.  She works collaboratively within the NNA-CO to connect educators in Alaska to NNA Research that supports youth learning, and to connect NNA Researchers with training and engagement opportunities to work with K12 youth. Sarah is completing her PhD studies at UAF through an NNA-funded project, Fresh Eyes on Ice, and is investigating youth centered community and citizen science in the Arctic. She has a Master's in environmental education from North Cascades Institute in Washington, and has served as the program coordinator for the Inspiring Girls Expeditions Alaska program since 2018.

Katie Boyd - Evaluator

Kathryn (Katie) Boyd is an Education and Outreach Associate at CIRES. She works on the evaluation efforts on multiple large education projects and will serve as the evaluator for the NNA-CO. She will be utilizing culturally responsive evaluation methodologies to assess the project processes and outcomes. She has a background in atmospheric science as well as science education research. Her professional interests include science education, outreach, and communication, specifically helping to build bridges between academic science and local communities.