Andrea Burgess
Andrea Akall'eq Burgess is Global Director of Conservation in Partnership with Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities at The Nature Conservancy. She is also the founder and owner of With Real People LLC, an Indigenous consulting firm dedicated to advancing truth and excellence through creative and strategic advocacy, policy guidance, and facilitation. In addition, Andrea serves as co-founder and president of Native Peoples Action and as a board of trustees for the Institute of American Indian Art (IAIA).
Prior to coming to TNC, Andrea was Director of the Alaska Native Policy Center within First Alaskans Institute, a role which allowed her to develop and cultivate relations and community connections all across the state of Alaska, and with Indigenous communities nationally and internationally. She also previously worked for US Senator Mark Begich, supporting him on the Senate Indian Affairs Committee and as the telecommunications lead for the Senate Commerce Committee.
Originally from Bethel Alaska, Andrea currently resides in Oahu Hawaii. Her cultural background is Yup’ik (Inuit) on her mother’s side and Belgian/Norwegian on her father’s side. Andrea is a Tribal Citizen of the Native Village of Kwinhagak.
3 words to describe Nature?
Pure
Rugged
Bliss
3 things Nature taught you?
You are never alone in Nature, our Ancestors are always with you there.
Nature has cycles, patterns, and rhythms that go beyond our human comprehension.
To come into balance, is to be on the land and water.
3 most treasured Nature spots?
The traditional homelands of the Yupik people along the Kuskokwim River in Southwest Alaska.
Imuruk Basin
Mākaha Valley and Coast
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
Timeless
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
Spiritually connected
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
Bloodline
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Gratitude always
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
Curious
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Like home
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
Ocean
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
10
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
As a child, summertime in Alaska was filled with boat rides, camping trips, and fishing. I remember one summer my dad took me and two of my closest friends on a camping trip along the Kuskokwim River. We enjoyed our separate tents and resulting sleeping schedules, which for us girls meant midnight walks and adventures along the river sandbars as daylight never ceased. We saw porcupine, beavers and all kinds of birds. They were our company and entertainment and wonder.
Susan Rockefeller
Susan Rockefeller is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, artist, and conservationist. Her latest endeavor, Musings is a digital magazine that curates ideas and innovations that pave the way for a more sustainable future. As the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Musings, Susan offers a portal to vetted products and brands that are pioneers in health, environmental, and social consciousness.
Susan is a member of the Council of Foreign Relations and is additionally an advisor to Food Systems 6, MADE SAFE, Oceanic Global, and Ohana & Co. In her film work, Rockefeller is a Principal of Louverture films and a member of the Film Committee for the Museum of Modern Art. Her own original films include: Food For Thought, Food for Life, Striking a Chord, Making the Crooked Straight, and Mission of Mermaids, have aired on HBO, PBS, and the Discovery Channel.
A longstanding philanthropist, Susan sits on the boards of Oceana, Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, We are Family Foundation, Southampton Arts Center, and Land and Garden Preserve.
3 words to describe Nature?
Powerful. Beautiful. Mysterious
3 things Nature taught you?
How to observe
How to listen
How to imagine my place in the cycle of living and dying
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Sagaponack Beach, Long Island, NY
Little Long Pond, Seal Harbor, MAINE
Kobuk River, Alaska
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
Mesmerized, in rhythm with life’s current and my own.
When you see a forest, it makes you feel…?
Like I want to lie down, feel the warmth of the sun, look at the sky, and smell the forest scents around me.
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel…?
Like I want to climb to the top of Stromboli again and glissade down the ash!
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
A sunrise gives rise to the promise of a new day and I yearn to feel that promise - a sunset is a reminder of the passing of another precious day and I feel reflective of whether I made the day count before retreating into a night slumber.
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
Alert with anticipation of oncoming rain and the possibility of lighting.
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Like God’s voice is present
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
Love them all. But more an Ocean person for the mermaid in me, a forest person for plants as medicine and the healer in me, a mountain person for vistas and wildflowers, and a desert person for the dry heat of the day in which to hike, and the deep dark blackness of a desert night sky.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
Scales don’t measure it - it is not linear and way beyond a scale; more like a kaleidoscope of delight, color, mystery, and vital to my well being and to all life.
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
Being on a sandy beach with my brother and sister, digging into the warm sand and mesmerized by the variety of colors in the sand itself, diving into the ocean waves and belonging and feeling at one with the waves, salt water, sun, and sand - delighting in the joy of it all. Pure imaginative, physical joy, and happy memories of being a child at play and in wonder with my family.
Quinn Christopherson
Quinn is an Athabaskan and Inupiaq songwriter who was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska. Quinn addresses his childhood and navigating Alaska’s social landscape through his music. In 2019, he won the NPR Tiny Desk Contest with his entry "Erase Me," a song exploring his experience coming out as a transgender man and was recognized by NPR for his submission in the 2018 contest with his song "Mary Alee".
3 words to describe Nature?
Safe. Humble. True
3 things Nature taught you?
To listen
Not to sweat the small things
Patience
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Anywhere near a lake, mountains, or hot springs
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
Free
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
Curious
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
Hot
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Gratitude
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
Quiet
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Heard
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
Mountain
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
10!
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
Going camping every summer weekend with my dad