Courtney Carothers, a University of Alaska fisheries professor, has been honored with the 2023 Denali Award by the Alaska Federation of Natives in recognition of her contributions as a non-Indigenous person demonstrating strong commitment to the Alaska Native community.
Carothers was one of several individuals recognized by the AFN, which held its annual convention in Anchorage Oct. 19-21, for their contributions to Alaska Native people.
Carothers has devoted her career to working with fishing communities in Alaska to better understand the social and cultural dimensions of fishery systems and to improve education, research and policy processes to better include these dimensions.
She has also partnered with Indigenous communities to promote social and environmental justice goals.
The AFN said her work has advanced several disciplines in the study of human-environment relationships, cultural values, equity and well-being. Her current work centers on transforming fisheries education, research and governance to center and elevate Indigenous perspectives, including developing the Tamamta program, which is supporting the first of several cohorts of Indigenous and allied students to pursue graduate degrees in fisheries and marine sciences. She has also contributed to deep relational work to advance dialogues on racial equity and transform fisheries education in Alaska, the AFN announcement said.
