Alexandra Peck serves as Audain Chair in Historical Indigenous Art & Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia’s Department of Art History, Visual Art, & Theory in Vancouver, Canada. An anthropologist, her work focuses on historical Northwest Coast Native art, ecology, and land use. She is interested in how Coast Salish women cultivated natural resources for cultural use, as well as how women utilized the local landscape to assert land-use rights, maintain economic autonomy, and facilitate trade relationships. Her scholarship examines various topics ranging from Coast Salish wooly dogs, lichens, and mycology to mortuary traditions and borderland communities. She is co-editor of the journal, Archaeology in Washington, as well as the author of numerous articles in publications such as the Journal of Northwest Anthropology and Human-Plant Entanglement: Thinking with Plants in the Anthropocene. Her work has been funded by institutes such as the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Previously, she served as Visiting Scholar of Indigenous Studies at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, upon receiving her Ph.D. in Anthropology from Brown University.

Chenoa Egawa is a ceremonial leader, medicine carrier, singer, speaker, published author (The Whale Child and Tani’s Search for the Heart), artist and nature photographer. She is also a Senior Level Qigong Instructor through the Ling Gui (Spiritual Turtle) International Healing Qigong School.

Squi-le-he-le (Raynell Morris) is a mother, grandmother, Lhaq’temish matriarch, enrolled Lummi tribal member, Events and Gatherings Producer at the Children of the Setting Sun Productions, and board member of the Friends of Toki, former Vice-President of the Sacred Lands Conservancy (Sacred Sea). As Associate Director of Intergovernmental Affairs under President Clinton, Raynell was the first Native American staffer appointed to the White House and has served as Chief of Staff for the Chairman of Lummi Nation. As the Director of Lummi Nation’s Sovereignty and Treaty Protection Office, she was a key strategist in the successful campaign to block a proposal to build North America’s largest coal port terminal on Lhaq’temish (Lummi) sacred ground. Her work for Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut (Toki/Tokitae), the famed orca, has been guided by ancestors, informed by science, and led with cultural strategy, traditions and beliefs. Her sacred obligation is to work for Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut’s Legacy; to save her family, to save the salmon, and to save her home waters…the Salish Sea.

Tammy Cooper-Woodrich has lived in the Pacific Northwest all of her life, she grew up in Whatcom County along the Nooksack River, where her ancestors have lived since time immemorial.  She has been an advocate for sustainable living and believes her connection to the land is what gives her a sense of pride and belonging.

Santana Rabang is an enrolled member of the Lummi Nation and alumni of Northwest Indian College. Prior to joining CSSP, she worked at Lummi Indian Business Council to learn more about tribal politics and how to make a difference. “Speak from the heart” is her life motto. Santana has spoken and emceed at many events including the 2024 Indigenous Peoples’ Day with nearly 5,000 attendees in person and virtually. As a digital activist, she uses TikTok to teach others about Coast Salish culture, while simultaneously dismantling ideologies and narratives that cause harm to Indigenous peoples. Future plans include continuously creating a space where all Indigenous Peoples feel safe and heard, and overall finding ways to be an asset to her workspace, community, and her people.

Justice Black-Williams, T’la’li Palas “I am an indigenous woman, enrolled in the Lummi Tribe. I am Lhaqtemish, a person of the sea, which creates this inherent responsibility when it comes to marine environments and ecosystems. Currently, I am obtaining my B.S. in Native Environmental Science at Northwest Indian College and have been a student intern at the Salish Sea Research Center since 2022. My family is my foundation, I would not be where I am without their support and love. I am a free spirit, constantly learning and evolving into a woman I can be proud of"

Elizabeth Coleman is a WWU student and granddaughter of Nooksack Elder Tammy Cooper-Woodrich. She is studying special education and is working with Bellingham Public Schools on a children’s book and their Since Time Immemorial curriculum through the nonprofit Healing Through Hope.