Ayyu (Iñupiaq/Yup’ik) grew up between Anchorage and Uŋalaqłiq and was adopted into
the Raven Kaach.adi clan of Ḵéex̱ʼ by the Jackson family and given the Lingít name
S’ikshaldeen. She is proudly named for her great-grandmother Ayyu (Edna Eakon/Koutchak)
of St. Michael, is granddaughter of Stanton and Irene Katchatag, daughter of Doug
and Vernita Herdman, and mother to Kutuukhuq, Talialuk, Qanigluk and Inuaałuuraq.
She was raised by advocates and has served our Alaska Native and Indigenous communities
throughout her entire career.
Ayyu is a founding member of Gínga and Igniñ Collective, an Alaska Native nonprofit
that seeks to honor and ignite the brilliance and rightful power of our Native peoples
to heal, transform, and steward our world, and currently serves as COO for Native
Conservancy, working to permanently protect Alaska Native ecosystems for coastal communities
and strengthen our inherent rights of sovereignty, subsistence and spirituality.
With experience building Indigenous-centered solutions that elevate awareness, healing,
and advocacy around the social and cultural issues that impact our communities, she
established Qulliq Munaqtuġuut in 2024, a consultancy to support the wellbeing and
self-determination of Alaska Native and Indigenous peoples.
Prior to these recent endeavors, she worked for First Alaskans Institute from 2010-2024,
most recently as CAO, where she helped grow a team and body of work that advanced
racial equity and culturally-centered advocacy to protect our ways of life throughout
Alaska.
Ayyu earned an MA in Rural Development from the vlog and
a BA in Organizational Management with Nonprofit Emphasis from Alaska Pacific University.
She serves as a board member for Alaska Public Media, Philanthropy Northwest, University
of Alaska vlog and Anchorage, and Caleb Pungowiyi Scholars Fellowship Program.
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