Our Team
Pamela Miller
Lorraine Eckstein
Vi Waghiyi
Samarys Seguinot-Medina
Patti Saunders
Nick Riordan
Adam Ortega
Dylan Jones
Ashlyn Johnson
Fredrika Prince
Terise n'ha Caitriona
Sara Siqiñiq Thomas
Erika Apatiki
Chris "Maalu" Noongwook
Wagner "Utu" Iworrigan
VIOLA (“VI”) WAGHIYI
(She/Her)
Environmental Health and Justice Program Director
Vi Pangunnaaq Waghiyi (she/her) is a Sivuqaq Yupik, Native Village of Savoonga Tribal Citizen, mother, and grandmother. Since 2002, she has worked with Alaska Community Action on Toxics and serves as Environmental Health and Justice Program Director. She was appointed by President Biden to the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council (WHEJAC) in April 2021. She is a nationally recognized environmental justice leader and is frequently invited to speak locally, nationally, and internationally. Vi serves as a leader of the Global Indigenous Peoples Caucus that advises the United Nation’s international delegates for treaties concerning persistent organic pollutants. She served as a member of the Environmental Health Sciences Council that advises the NIEHS.
Vi received an Environmental Achievement Award from the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium in “Recognition of Valuable Contributions to Environmental Excellence in Alaska.” She received a certificate of appreciation from the leaders of her home village, Savoonga, “for the dedication and devoted service as an Ambassador of St. Lawrence Island for protecting our health and human rights.” She coordinates environmental health research projects in the Norton Sound region of Alaska and supervises the work of community researchers on Sivuqaq.
VIOLA (“VI”) WAGHIYI
(She/Her)
Environmental Health and Justice Program Director
Vi is a Sivuqaq Yupik, Native Village of Savoonga Tribal Citizen, mother, and grandmother. Since 2002, she has worked with ACAT and serves as Environmental Health and Justice Director. She was appointed by President Biden to the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council (WHEJAC) in April 2021. She is a nationally recognized environmental justice leader and is frequently invited to speak locally, nationally, and internationally. Vi serves as a leader of the Global Indigenous Peoples Caucus that advises the United Nation’s international delegates for treaties concerning persistent organic pollutants. She served as a member of the Environmental Health Sciences Council that advises the NIEHS.
Vi received an Environmental Achievement Award from the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium in “Recognition of Valuable Contributions to Environmental Excellence in Alaska.” She received a certificate of appreciation from the leaders of her home village, Savoonga, “for the dedication and devoted service as an Ambassador of St. Lawrence Island for protecting our health and human rights.” She coordinates environmental health research projects in the Norton Sound region of Alaska and supervises the work of community researchers on Sivuqaq.
LORRAINE ECKSTEIN, Ph.D.
(She/Her)
Research Anthropologist
Lorraine has fifty years of experience in research administration with expertise in the creation and application of social models and ten years teaching anthropology/sociology in colleges.
Lorraine has been with ACAT since the beginning in 1997. Currently, she serves as Research Anthropologist but she served as a volunteer until 2000 when she joined ACAT’s staff. Her duties include:
- Designing questionnaires
- Training ACAT’s research teams to interview individuals in communities throughout Alaska
- Writing/editing grant proposals, reports, and other technical documents
- Preparing media clips that highlight ACAT's work
- Helping screen and hire new staff members and summer interns.
Lorraine is passionate about all facets of ACAT’s work and values most the diversity that ACAT has been maintaining for more than two decades.
Lorraine believes that humans are evolving toward a world without poverty, greed, and war. She wrote about this in her Ph.D. dissertation (1990), which is available at the library of the University of Washington in Seattle. Lorraine loves the Star Trek TV series and movies created by Gene Roddenberry that visualize her beliefs.
PAMELA MILLER
(She/Her)
Executive Director
Pam founded ACAT in 1997 and serves as Executive Director. She brings more than 35 years of research, education, and advocacy experience to her present work. Pam works passionately for environmental and reproductive justice, health, and human rights. In addition to serving as Executive Director for ACAT, Pamela was elected in 2016 as Co-Chair of the International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN), a network of more than 600 environmental health and justice organizations working in 124 countries. She serves as a Principal Investigator for community-based participatory research funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
Pamela received a Meritorious Service Award from the University of Alaska and Alaska Conservation Foundation’s Olaus Murie Award in recognition of her “long-term outstanding professional contributions to the conservation movement in Alaska.” She holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Wittenberg University and a master’s degree in environmental science from Miami University.
Prior to her work in Alaska, she served as Ocean Issues Technical Coordinator for the Washington Department of Ecology and Director of a marine science education center at Nisqually Reach in southern Puget Sound. She received the Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence in Washington State. She came to Alaska in 1989 following the Exxon Valdez oil spill to serve as a research biologist for Greenpeace.
Pamela spends as much time as possible in nature and loves kayaking, birding, music, poetry, reading non-fiction books and mystery novels. She is of Irish, Scottish, Swiss, and German ancestry.
SAMARYS SEGUINOT MEDINA, Dr PH, MSEM
(She/They/Elles)
Environmental Health Program Director
Samarys, also known as Sama or by her given Siberian Yupik name, Umyuugalek, is a Boricua from the Archipelago of Borikén (Puerto Rico). She was born and raised between the beautiful countryside of San Sebastián and the sandy beaches of the west coast of Borikén. She first came to Alaska in 2009 as a summer intern at ACAT and returned in 2010 to become a full-time employee. Today she serves as the Environmental Health Director. The focus of her work is supporting ACAT's community-based participatory research projects and environmental health research.
Sama has extensive experience in environmental justice advocacy; decolonization efforts in Borikén, the Caribbean and Alaska; community-based participatory research; environmental health education; environmental planning; and science translation. She earned a bachelor’s degree in biology specializing in Environmental Science from the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico, a master’s degree in science of environmental risk assessment & environmental planning from Universidad Metropolitana, and a doctorate degree in public health specializing in environmental health from the University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus.
Sama is passionate about her family, social justice, the outdoors, and people’s connections to the natural world. She is immensely proud of her Boricua heritage.
Some of her personal interests are cooking Puerto Rican food, traveling, and tasting foods from other cultures, color and texture in photography, music, water, art, and sunsets.
NICK RIORDAN
(He/Him)
Organic Gardening Coordinator
Nick joined ACAT’s staff in 2019 as the Organic Gardening Coordinator and in 2020 began hosting ACAT’s Alaska Collaborative on Health and the Environment webinar series (CHE-Alaska). At ACAT, he works to build the capacity of Anchorage and Alaskan residents to create, access, and advocate for healthy food, soil, and water.
Nick comes to ACAT with experience in earth science, education, permaculture design, and food systems. He uses these skills to guide ACAT’s Yarducopia and CHE-Alaska programs, provide research-based recommendations, and support and assist with other efforts.
Nick loves working with community members to improve Alaska’s food systems and serves on the board of directors of the Alaska Pioneer Fruit Growers Association and the Alaska Master Gardeners Association. In his free time, he plays cello in a chamber orchestra, bikes, skis around beautiful Anchorage, and tends a garden.
PATTI SAUNDERS
(She/Her)
Development Director
Patti came to Anchorage in 1986 to serve as staff attorney for Trustees for Alaska and has been involved with Alaska’s environmental community ever since. She earned a B.A. summa cum laude in English and History from Lehigh University (Bethlehem, PA) and a J.D. from New York University School of Law (New York, NY).
Patti has been ACAT’s Development Director since 2014 and is responsible for grant writing and individual donations. Prior to joining the staff, she served on the Board of Directors from 2004 – 2013, including a stint as Board Treasurer. Previously, Patti was Development Director at The Arc of Anchorage from 1999 to 2013, where part of her work involved raising awareness about the link between environmental contaminants and developmental disabilities.
Patti is passionate about equal rights, justice for all, and overturning the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision holding that corporations are persons (although if they are, they should be subject to capital punishment).
When not at the office, Patti can be found in her gardens or Alaska’s wild places, reading a book, or playing with yarn and beads. And as often as possible, in the south of France.
COURTNEY OWEN
(She/Her)
Civic Engagement Coordinator
Courtney joined ACAT in September 2020 as the Civic Engagement Coordinator. At ACAT, Courtney works to facilitate integrated voter engagement, cultivate a grassroots base to advance and protect environmental health and reproductive justice and to achieve health protective policies.
Courtney was born and raised in Eagle River, Alaska. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in International Studies and German from the University of Alaska Anchorage. Before coming to ACAT, Courtney helped manage three cycles of statewide and municipal campaigns at a local political consulting firm, organized for a local environmental nonprofit, lived and traveled in Europe for a year, spent six months living with her partner in a Prius while driving across the Lower 48, spent two summer seasons in Bristol Bay while working for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and conducted the Decennial U.S. Census in rural Alaskan communities.
Courtney is an avid hiker, world traveler, and prefers to spend her time in nature. Courtney enjoys thrifting, reading, tending to her plants, cycling, live music, and borrowing her friends dogs to join her on outdoor adventures.
YVONNE LEE
(She/Her)
Program Manager for Protecting Future Generations
Yvonne Lee is Dine' from New Mexico and first came to Alaska in early 2022. Yvonne has a passion for using her voice and leadership to protect the land, water, people, and animals of Mother Earth. This passion brought her to ACAT to serve as the Program Manager for Protecting Future Generations in September 2022. Yvonne values a balanced life, making an impact in her communities, parenting, and emphasizing cultural and traditional values. Yvonne is a mother, daughter, sister, and friend, and she loves being outdoors and spending time with her son.
ADAM ORTEGA
(He/Him)
Communications Coordinator
Adam Ortega joined ACAT in October 2022 as the Communications Coordinator. Adam works to create meaningful graphics and content for social media platforms that inspire our Alaskan communities to get involved in eliminating the use of harmful toxics.
Adam has worked in the nonprofit sector for about four years. Previously, Adam worked as a producer for the local NPR station in Nebraska and with the National Park Service as a natural resource intern. Last year, Adam had the opportunity to work with a Black-led newsroom amplifying Black and Brown voices within his home community in Omaha, Nebraska. During his undergraduate at The University of Nebraska-Omaha, Adam studied journalism and sustainability and landed an internship with Nebraska's Department of Natural Resources drafting newsletters and infographics on Nebraska's water quality. Adam’s goal is to use his skills to provide environmental justice education for Anchorage residents and beyond.
Adam is a journalist at heart with a passion for storytelling. He believes that everybody deserves access to dependable, authentic information and is committed to providing just that to his fellow Alaskans. Adam is an optimist, who creates works based on integrity and honesty. He believes in maintaining a healthy work/life balance and his family is fundamentally important to him. In his free time, Adam enjoys listening to audiobooks, podcasts, and movies. He loves to skateboard, snowboard and backpack whenever he can.
ERIKA APATIKI
(She/Her)
Community Health Researcher
Erika Apatiki joined ACAT in 2010 as a Sivuqaq Community Health Researcher based in Gambell, a town on Sivuqaq (St. Lawrence Island) located in the Bering Sea between Alaska and Russia. At ACAT, Erika organizes community events, such as environmental health fairs, assists in field research, and has twice attended the U.N. Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutant's Conference of the Parties (COP) in Geneva, Switzerland with ACAT. Erika earned her Bachelor of Arts in Business Management from the University of Alaska, Anchorage.
Erika has a passion for serving her community and values the traditions and way of life on Sivuqaq. In her free time, Erika loves to craft and camp.
CHRIS "MAALU" NOONGWOOK
(He/Him)
Community Health Researcher
Chris "Maalu" Noongwook was born to Phyllis and the late Milton Noongwook in Nome, Alaska, and raised in Savoonga, a small town on St. Lawrence Island (Sivuqaq) located in the Bering Sea. Chris joined ACAT in 2017 as a Community Health Researcher. At ACAT, Chris assists with field research and sample collection, organizes and schedules community meetings and events, and other general administrative support.
Before coming to ACAT, Chris worked for the Norton Sound Economic Development Corporation on summer beach cleanup projects and as a seafood processor. Chris served several communities in the Norton Sound region as a dental assistant with the Norton Sound Health Corporation, and worked as a USPS post master in his community of Savoonga.
Chris is passionate about his friends and family, serving his community, and engaging in and practicing the Sivuqaq Yupik way of life. He hopes to pass these traditions on to his nieces and nephews for generations to come. Chris loves to watch movies, camp, and ride four wheelers in the country.
WAGNER "UTU" IWORRIGAN
(He/Him)
Community Health Researcher
Wagner "Utu" Iworrigan joined ACAT in early 2020 as a Sivuqaq Community Health Researcher. At ACAT, Utu organizes community meetings and events and assists with field research logistics and sample collection.
Utu was born in Gambell, but later moved to Savoonga on Sivuqaq (St. Lawrence Island). Growing up on the island, Utu quickly became an avid hunter and gatherer. In practicing Sivuqaq traditions, Utu gained a great love and respect for his people, the island, the surrounding waters, and the wildlife that sustains them.
Growing up, Utu noticed a drastic change in the health of his people and the wildlife. Many years after the US Military occupied the island, he saw unprecedented rates of cancer and disease in many people of Sivuqaq, both young and old. This motivated him to further his education and research on harmful chemicals like PCBs, POPs, and other cancer-causing pollutants. He says, “It's no longer a matter of IF we get cancer, it's WHEN we get cancer because of these harmful chemicals that have been passed down to us, our children, and future generations."
Utu is passionate about the health of his community and seeks to help his people through education and research to mitigate the high rate of cancer on the island. Utu is resolute in holding military polluters accountable and getting the justice his community deserves. In Annie Alowa's words "I will fight until I melt!"
DYLAN JONES
(He/Him)
Program Coordinator
Dylan Jones grew up in Anchorage. He began working with ACAT as Program Coordinator in 2022. He helps plan and implement various projects including community outreach events and community-based environmental/human health research.
Dylan graduated with a bachelor's degree in neuroscience in 2020 from Westminster University in Salt Lake City. He has transitioned from lab-based behavioral research to field-based human research with ACAT.
Dylan spends his free time studying and engaging with anti-colonial theories and activism. He works to understand his relationship with environmental justice as a settler on occupied land. This ongoing work informs and directs his personal life and his work with ACAT.
Dylan also enjoys rock climbing, running, and brewing pour-over coffee every morning.
TERISE N'HA CAITRIONA
(She/Her)
Office Manager
Terise n’ha Caitriona joined ACAT in October 2022 as the Office Manager after working many years for non-profits that help individuals who experience intellectual and developmental disabilities. Terise has been in Anchorage for almost 30 years by way of Seattle, Florida, and Rhode Island. She earned a Bachelor’s from the University of Alaska, Anchorage in English - Rhetoric, and, as a Grant Writer is among a small, proud population of people who actually get to use their English degree. Terise lives with her husband, 16-year-old twins, and dog Lady Jaina Pupmoore.
Fredrika Prince
(she/her)
Protecting Future Generations Coordinator
Fredrika Prince (she/her) is a tribal member of and originally from Kotlik, Alaska. “Yugissaq” is her native Yup’ik name, named after her grandfather, Fredrick. She is the mother of four daughters, all attending ASD currently.
She holds a Associates of Arts from UAF (University of Alaska Fairbanks) and a Associates of Applied Science, Business Administration and Accounting Technology, from Alaska Career College
She has worked with various tribes including Kotlik, Hamilton, Bill Moore’s Slough (all in Kotlik) and Georgetown (in Anchorage) tribes. In 2006, she wrote and introduced the Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan (ISWMP) for Kotlik. Fredrika has served on the Kotlik City Council from 2005 to 2012 as a member. She also worked with Kotlik Yupik Corporation as a secretary part time and attended meetings taking notes. She served as a health aide for a few years where she learned that the health of her people is very precious. She was also a (her mother’s, now retired) Yupik teacher’s aide for a couple years assisting students learn their language.
Fredrika is very thankful and excited to be working with the ACAT team. She would like to help make a difference in people’s lives, especially for those who eat off the land, river, and sea, making sure they know what can be harmful and ways to prevent and/or fix the problems. She looks forward to working with the St. Lawrence Island people and others around the state, gaining knowledge and sharing her knowledge.
Fredrika moved to Anchorage in 2018 with her children. She enjoys spending time with her children, cooking traditional food and enjoys time eating and visiting with extended family and friends. She loves to do anything that involves subsistence, especially with fish and potlucks. She also enjoys family movie nights and traveling out of state to explore. Her hobbies include sewing, crocheting and arts and crafts and just being outside (like camping) during the spring, summer, and fall.
“Well done is better than well said”- Benjamin Franklin
ASHLYN JOHNSON
(SHE/HER)
Civic Engagement Coordinator
Ashlyn (she/her) is a lifelong Alaskan. She was born in Soldotna on Dena’ina land and moved to Anchorage in her teens where she graduated from Bettye Davis East High and UAA with a Bachelor of Science in Environment & Society and an Occupational Endorsement in Sustainable Energy.
Ashlyn has worked as an Environmental & Economic Research Assistant with Alaska Center for Energy and Power where she studied behavior around renewable energy and then started an internship with the Alaska Public Interest Research Group where she did research on broadband connection in Alaska. Ashlyn has also been a grassroots canvasser for two years where she worked to engage voters on local issues and listened to their concerns. Most recently, Ashlyn worked as a Legislative Staffer where she worked to further engage with members of the community and policymakers. Her primary goal in the environmental justice realm is to involve stakeholders in the policies that affect them to create equitable structures. She hopes that through being an optimist, she can spread the vibrance that comes with hope, laughing, learning, and community healing.
Her hopes at ACAT are to bridge the academic front of social issues and the reality of human connection to find meaningful solutions to social issues. Primarily, she believes that human health, happiness, and spirit are the most important parts of society and is working to base economies around human needs first. She believes that within problems, we can find ways to learn and form understanding.
Sara Siqiñiq Thomas
(SHE/HER)
Environmental Justice Organizer
Sara Thomas is a mother of 6, partner of a subsistence hunter, and daughter of two former teachers, raised between Idaho and Utqiagvik, Alaska. She is the second generation of bewildered decolonizers and will forever be sorting out her identity as a complicated Euro-American. She moved to Anchorage from Utqiagvik with her large, wild family and two huskies in 2020 and serves as environmental justice organizer for ACAT as of January 2023.
Sara has previously worked as a community organizer in the Arctic Slope, and in various roles in education ranging from sub/aide to college-level instructor and most recently worked on a cultural storytelling project called Sovereignty Stories as both a producer and collaborative artist. She has earned a B.A. in International Relations from University of Hawai’i and a M.A. in Rural Development through UAF, where she collaborated on a community-based participatory research project on local North Slope community attitudes about land, air, and water stewardship. Her work led her to collaborate on the formation of the grassroots advocacy organization Sovereign Iñupiat for a Living Arctic, on whose board she serves in an advisory capacity.
In her free time Sara enjoys walking and biking outside, exploring the Anchorage food scene, dancing anywhere and everywhere, and sitting around a fire with her family and friends. She is also a hobby poet and singer/songwriter and a novice gardener.