The Research Advisory Board will advise on NNA-CO research integration and synthesis activities, and identify strategic engagement opportunities with the broader research community, Tribal and Indigenous partners, decision-makers, and other state, national, and international partners. This board will seat five current NNA PIs, three external experts with knowledge critical to identifying engagement opportunities, and members of our Indigenous Advisory Board.
Nikoosh Carlo - Advisory Boards Lead & Co-Chair
nikoosh@cncnorthconsulting.comDr. 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.
Alexa Reedman - Board Co-Chair
Alexa Reedman is the Research & Partnerships Manager at ArcticNet and is passionate about designing research systems that are rigorous and culturally inclusive. She is responsible for the co-creation and implementation of the North-by-North Program, which includes the Inuit Nunangat Research Program – the first Inuit-led, directed and governed research program in the world. In this role, she works closely with Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, Inuit Circumpolar Council, Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., Makivik Corporation, Kativik Regional Government, Nunatsiavut Government, Yukon University, Aurora College, Nunavut Arctic College, and the Governments of Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut.
Jessica Black (Gwich'in) - Board Member
jcblack@alaska.eduDr. Jessica Black is Gwich’in Dena from the villages of Gwichyaa Zhee (Ft. Yukon) and Toghotthele (Nenana), Alaska. Dr. Black currently serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Alaska Native Studies, Rural Development and Tribal Governance at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Dr. Black received her bachelor’s degree in Social Work (BSW) at UAF and her master’s degree and PhD in Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. Her dissertation and current research examine the relationship between governance and well-being among Alaska Native peoples, especially as it pertains to Tribal Stewardship and Cultural Connectivity. She resides in Fairbanks, Alaska with her family, however, she frequently returns home to Gwichyaa Zhee to hunt, fish, gather and engage in other, important cultural practices.
Andrea Akalleq Burgess - Board Member
Andrea Akall’eq Burgess (Yup’ik/Inuit) is Global Director of Conservation in Partnership with Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities at The Nature Conservancy. Andrea also serves as president and co-founder of Native Peoples Action a 501(c)(4) and co-founder of Native Peoples Action Community Fund a 501(c)(3) non profit organization in Alaska. Andrea is a presidential appointee on the board of directors for the Institute of American Indian Art (IAIA) in Sante Fe New Mexico. Previously she owned and operated With Real People LLC, worked as Director of the Alaska Native Policy Center at First Alaskans Institute, and in the United States Senate.
Mohammad Heidari Kapourchali - Board Member
mhkaporchali@alaska.eduDr. Mohammad Heidari Kapourchali is an Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering in the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of Alaska Anchorage and an affiliated researcher at the Alaska Center for Energy and Power (ACEP). The focus of his research is on energy resilience in the island and remote communities, microgrid operation and planning, and renewable energy integration. Dr. Heidari received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from Wichita State University in 2018.
Andrey Petrov - Board Member
andrey.petrov@uni.eduDr. Andrey N. Petrov is a Professor of Geography and Director of the ARCTICenter at the University of Northern Iowa. Dr. Petrov is an economic and social geographer who specializes in Arctic economy, regional development and sustainability in the Arctic communities. His current research concerns sustainable development, spatial organization, and restructuring of peripheral economies, as well as dynamics of social-ecological systems. Dr. Petrov leads the Research Coordination Networks in Arctic Sustainability (Arctic-FROST) and Arctic Coastal Resilience (Arctic-COAST). He has published on issues pertaining to socio-economic change, community-industry relations, sustainable development and human-environment interactions in the Arctic. Dr. Petrovs has served as the 9th President of the InternationalArctic Social Sciences Association (IASSA) (2017-2021) and Chair of the Human and Social Working Group of the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) (2019-2021).
Robert Orttung - Board Member
rorttung@gwu.eduDr. Robert Orttung is Professor of Sustainability and International Affairs and Director of the Sustainability Research Institute at the George Washington University. Orttung is the lead PI for two National Science Foundation Navigating the New Arctic projects: Measuring Urban Sustainability in Transition and Arctic Cruise Ship Tourism. He is the editor of Urban Sustainability in the Arctic: Measuring Progress in Circumpolar Cities (NY: Berghahn, 2020). He has published extensively on Arctic topics and issues related to the development of Ukraine and Russia’s political systems. Orttung received a B.A. in Russian Studies from Stanford University and both a M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Sandy Starkweather - Board Member
Dr. Sandy Starkweather is the Executive Director for the US Arctic Observing Network (US AON, NOAA-chaired), where she advances US agency participation in the international Arctic Observing System. With a joint background in engineering (energy conservation, renewables), earth science (Arctic climatology) and science policy, Sandy has worked in a consulting engineering capacity, university research, project management and planning. During this time, she spent twelve years traveling to/from Greenland to either participate in or support Arctic field research. She is currently serving as the Chair of Sustaining Arctic Observing Networks (SAON) and leading SAON's efforts to develop its Roadmap for Arctic Observing and Data Systems (ROADS).
Ming Xiao - Board Member
Dr. Ming Xiao is a Professor of Civil Engineering and Director of the Civil Infrastructure Testing and Evaluation Laboratory (CITEL) in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Pennsylvania State University. His research focuses on performances of civil infrastructure and permafrost coastal erosion due to permafrost degradation in the Arctic. He has led collaborative and cross-disciplinary research projects funded by the National Science Foundation, Federal Highway Administration, Department of Interior, and state Departments of Transportation to address infrastructure systems’ challenges. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).