Meet Our Team

Kinsey Brown

Co-Chair | Cordova

Kinsey is an applied anthropologist who works as a fisheries specialist in Cordova, Alaska. Her recent work includes efforts to support the decarbonization of the commercial fishing fleet, build coastal community resilience modeling, and enhancing science communications. She fishes seasonally alongside her husband and daughter on their 58' vessel in Prince William Sound and Kodiak.

Grace Allan

Kodiak

Grace grew up in a fishing family in Kodiak, AK. Her first job in fisheries was bleeding the cod her dad caught on a jig trip, she was hooked. Moving on to participate in multiple fisheries, run her family's boat, and work in fisheries science, her way of life has always relied on the health and sustainability of Alaska's fisheries and marine ecosystems.​

Melanie Brown

Bristol Bay & Juneau

Melanie was born into a Bristol Bay fishing family that has been sustained by the Naknek River for countless generations. Her children are now part of her family’s setnet operation and she migrates with them to Bristol Bay from their winter home in Juneau annually.

Dr. Peter Westley

Fairbanks

Peter is an associate professor and Wakefield Chair at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where he leads the Salmonid Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Lab. His research uses natural experiments—such as climate change, colonization, and hatchery–wild interactions—to explore connections between salmon, people, and place. He co-leads NSF/NRT Tamamta, advancing partnerships between Indigenous Knowledge and Western science, and lives with his family on the traditional lands of the lower Tanana Dene’ people.

Rachel Donkersloot

Co-Chair | Palmer

Rachel is a social scientist based in Aniak where she manages a research and consulting firm. Rachel strives to center Indigenous values in her work to improve fishery management and decision-making through systematic inclusion of diverse values, data and knowledge systems. ​​

Mackenzie Bindas

Homer

Mackenzie was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA, where she developed a deep connection to the outdoors through hunting, fishing, and exploring the natural world. Her early exposure to environmental issues sparked a lifelong passion for conservation and advocacy. She worked as a deckhand on charter fishing boats, which was a formative experience that introduced her to the dynamic intersection of coastal communities, fisheries, and environmental challenges.​

Nels Ure

Naknek

Nels is a second-generation Alaskan fisherman who has spent more than half his life fishing the waters of Bristol Bay. His work includes grassroots organizing against the Pebble Mine project, advocating for local and regional fisheries equity and engaging in legislative processes to protect Alaska’s fisheries and habitat. Nels is passionate about fostering environmental awareness and inspiring the next generation of fishermen to engage with critical issues shaping the future of Alaska's waters and fisheries.