Current board members are listed below.
To view the job description for the ARCUS Board of Directors, click here.
Term dates begin 1 January and end 31 December of the relevant years.
Victoria Herrmann - President (Term ends 2025)
The Arctic Institute
Washington, District of Columbia
Victoria Herrmann is a storyteller and geographer working with communities around the world on climate change adaptation. As a Senior Fellow at The Arctic Institute and Assistant Research Professor at Georgetown University, she has spent the past decade leading research initiatives and directing capacity building programs to support communities on the front lines of climate change to safeguard their cultural heritage. At Georgetown University, she serves as the Principal Investigator of a National Science Foundation-funded Arctic Migration Research Coordination Network, a 600-person initiative with a mission to integrate discipline-isolated research on changing Arctic migration patterns and advance policy-focused outcomes. Victoria is also the Director of Preserving Legacies: A Future for Our Past, a major global program funded by the National Geographic Society that envisions a world where we celebrate our diverse cultural heritage and safeguard every site against climate impacts by empowering communities with the scientific knowledge and technical training to achieve appropriate place and people-based climate adaptation plans. Victoria is also a AAAS IF/THEN Ambassador, program serving as high-profile STEM role models for middle school girls.
A recognized expert in Arctic policy, Victoria has testified before the US House and Senate, served as the Alaska Review Editor for the 4th National Climate Assessment, contributes to major media outlets on climate change, and was named as one of the ‘World’s 100 Most Influential People in Climate Policy’ by Apolitical. She has previously served as the President and Managing Director of The Arctic Institute from 2016 to 2021, a White House Fellow, a Fulbright awardee to Canada, a Carnegie Endowment Junior Fellow, and a Gates Scholar at the University of Cambridge, where she received her PhD in Geography.
A recognized expert in Arctic policy, Victoria has testified before the US House and Senate, served as the Alaska Review Editor for the 4th National Climate Assessment, contributes to major media outlets on climate change, and was named as one of the ‘World’s 100 Most Influential People in Climate Policy’ by Apolitical. She has previously served as the President and Managing Director of The Arctic Institute from 2016 to 2021, a White House Fellow, a Fulbright awardee to Canada, a Carnegie Endowment Junior Fellow, and a Gates Scholar at the University of Cambridge, where she received her PhD in Geography.
Peter Webley - Secretary (Term ends 2026)
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Fairbanks, Alaska
I have a passion for business development and technology transfer from an academic environment into the private sector. I am a Research Professor of Remote Sensing as well as the Associate Director of Research at the Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration (ACUASI), Geophysical Institute, UAF. As well as Deputy Director of the UAF technology transfer office, Office of Intellectual Property and Commercialization (OIPC), I am a Program Manager at UAF’s Center for Innovation, Commercialization, and Entrepreneurship (Center-ICE) and lead the instruction of the NSF funded I-Corps site program as well as managing the summer-based Students to Starts program.
I was the Vice-President of UAF’s first start-up, V-ADAPT, Inc., formed in 2013 and have successfully licensed intellectual property, been awarded small business innovation research projects and a US patent as well as been inducted into the State of Alaska Innovators Hall of Fame 2016 – 2017 class.
I was the Vice-President of UAF’s first start-up, V-ADAPT, Inc., formed in 2013 and have successfully licensed intellectual property, been awarded small business innovation research projects and a US patent as well as been inducted into the State of Alaska Innovators Hall of Fame 2016 – 2017 class.
Kaare Sikuaq Erickson - Treasurer (Term ends 2026)
Ikaaġun Engagement, LLC
Anchorage, Alaska
Kaare Ray Sikuaq Erickson is the Principal and team lead for Ikaaġun Engagement, based in Unalakleet and Anchorage, Alaska. Sikuaq was raised on the Bering Sea coast and has family scattered across northern Alaska from Unalakleet to Shishmaref to Utqiaġvik. Sikuaq was taught to provide for his communities through subsistence and leadership; to be aware of problems facing Arctic communities; and to find creative, realistic, and effective ways to alleviate or solve those issues. Sikuaq spent nearly two decades immersed in cultural studies and has most recently spent several years developing and implementing creative, effective, and efficient outreach, engagement and K-12 education programs for high profile Arctic research projects. Sikuaq's unique upbringing and specialized training allows him to successfully fulfill his role as cultural broker connecting Arctic communities and Arctic research entities.
Cheryl Rosa - Executive Committee Member-at-Large (Term ends 2025)
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Anchorage, Alaska
Note: Until July 2025, Dr. Rosa is on detail to the University of Alaska Fairbanks as the Director of the Animal Resources Center and Attending Veterinarian.
Dr. Cheryl Rosa is Deputy Director and Anchorage-based Alaska Director of the United States Arctic Research Commission (USARC). Dr. Rosa is trained as a Wildlife Veterinarian and Wildlife Biologist and has worked with subsistence communities on the North Slope and in the Russian Far East on a wide range of studies involving wildlife health and zoonotic disease, marine mammal stranding response, subsistence food safety and oil spill/offshore discharge research. Presently, she is involved in running USARC’s Alaska Rural Water and Sanitation Working Group, the Arctic Renewable Energy Working Group and the Arctic Mental Health Working Group.
She received a PhD in Biology from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from Tufts University and a BS in Animal Science and a BS in Zoology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Dr. Cheryl Rosa is Deputy Director and Anchorage-based Alaska Director of the United States Arctic Research Commission (USARC). Dr. Rosa is trained as a Wildlife Veterinarian and Wildlife Biologist and has worked with subsistence communities on the North Slope and in the Russian Far East on a wide range of studies involving wildlife health and zoonotic disease, marine mammal stranding response, subsistence food safety and oil spill/offshore discharge research. Presently, she is involved in running USARC’s Alaska Rural Water and Sanitation Working Group, the Arctic Renewable Energy Working Group and the Arctic Mental Health Working Group.
She received a PhD in Biology from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from Tufts University and a BS in Animal Science and a BS in Zoology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Helena Buurman - Board Member (Term ends 2026)
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Fairbanks, Alaska
Dr. Helena Buurman is a Research Development Officer at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where she supports researchers in bringing new ideas to life. She is actively engaged in academic, military, and community-based research efforts in Alaska.
Originally from Scotland, Dr. Buurman moved to Alaska to pursue graduate studies in volcano seismology and volcano monitoring. Her passions for earth science, communication, and the outdoors have guided her career in natural hazards research, operations, and community engagement across the state of Alaska.
Originally from Scotland, Dr. Buurman moved to Alaska to pursue graduate studies in volcano seismology and volcano monitoring. Her passions for earth science, communication, and the outdoors have guided her career in natural hazards research, operations, and community engagement across the state of Alaska.
Stacey Fritz - Board Member (Term ends 2024)
Alaska Adaptable Housing LLC
Fairbanks, Alaska
Stacey Fritz, PhD, is a Cultural Anthropologist with Alaska Adaptable Housing, LLC, based in Fairbanks, Alaska. She has 20 years of experience working with Indigenous communities in the Arctic. Her doctoral thesis at the University of Alaska Fairbanks traced the legacies of the DEW Line in the western Arctic, and she spent a decade working in public land management in the Arctic. Dr. Fritz works on housing insecurity issues, innovative building projects, remote Arctic logistic challenges, and specializes in tribal consultation, outreach to communities, sociocultural impact analysis, environmental justice, and mitigating impacts from resource development. In her current position, she works to advance sustainable housing for northern residents and regional economic development through distributed manufacturing of durable goods using local resources, Indigenous-led self-building initiatives, and innovative building science. She also contributes to guidance on energy justice, renewable energy projects in Alaska Native communities, and compensation for Alaska Native participants in research and government processes.
Heather Gordon - Board Member (Term ends 2025)
Sauyaq Solutions
Homer, Alaska
Heather Sauyaq (Soy-uckh) Jean Gordon (she/her) is Iñupiaq and enrolled tribal member of the Nome Eskimo Community. She is the founder/principle consultant for Sauyaq Solutions, LLC working to support Indigenous Nations in self-determination through research, evaluation, and technical assistance. Heather previously worked at the Administration for Native Americans and consulted with other federal agencies, which included working on the Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee Arctic Research Plan 2022-2026 and with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy on work around Indigenous Knowledge. Heather is currently a Native Children’s Research Exchange scholar, sits on the Board of Directors for the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States, and serves on the National Academy of Sciences committee on Co-Production of Environmental Knowledge, Methods, and Approaches. Heather holds a MS in Sociology and a PhD in Indigenous Studies with a concentration in Indigenous Sustainability.
Erica Hill - Board Member (Term ends 2027)
University of Alaska Southeast
Dr. Erica Hill is an accomplished anthropological archaeologist and educator specializing in Arctic and Andean studies. She serves as the University of Alaska President’s Arctic Professor and Director of Research at the University of Alaska Southeast, where she mentors early-career researchers, fosters Arctic research initiatives, and identifies funding opportunities. With expertise in zooarchaeology, human-animal relations, and burial practices, she has published extensively, contributing to three edited volumes, numerous peer-reviewed articles, and book chapters.
Dr. Hill previously served as a Program Officer for the National Science Foundation's Arctic Social Sciences Program, managing multimillion-dollar budgets, leading grant processes, and promoting equity in research funding. She has held leadership roles in international collaborations, the Polar Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, and as a U.S. representative to the Arctic Council.
A dedicated academic, Dr. Hill has also contributed as an editor for prominent journals, including Animal History and the Alaska Journal of Anthropology. She earned her Ph.D. with distinction in Anthropology from the University of New Mexico and holds a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of Florida.
Dr. Hill previously served as a Program Officer for the National Science Foundation's Arctic Social Sciences Program, managing multimillion-dollar budgets, leading grant processes, and promoting equity in research funding. She has held leadership roles in international collaborations, the Polar Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, and as a U.S. representative to the Arctic Council.
A dedicated academic, Dr. Hill has also contributed as an editor for prominent journals, including Animal History and the Alaska Journal of Anthropology. She earned her Ph.D. with distinction in Anthropology from the University of New Mexico and holds a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of Florida.
Johanna Ikävalko - Board Member (Term ends 2026)
Arctic Centre, Univ. of Lapland
Dr. Johanna Ikävalko received her dissertation at the University of Helsinki, Finland in hydrobiology/sea ice biology. She has lived and done research abroad, e.g. in Germany (Institute for Polar Ecology), Australia (Australian Antarctic Division) and US (University of Santa Cruz, California). Polar field campaigns took her sailing twice to the Antarctic, the North Pole, and several voyages in the frozen Baltic Sea. After her career in science, she has moved to implementation science-based knowledge. In 2009-2013 she was Head of Environment at the Finnish Farmers' and Forest Owners' Association, after which she was the Head of Marine Research Unit, Finnish Meteorological Institute. Johanna has also served as a ministerial adviser at the Ministry of Transport and Communications. During Finland's presidency at the Arctic Council in 2017-2019 she led the priority "Meteorological Cooperation", after which she worked as an expert for the Arctic Council working group Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme Secretariat. Dr. Ikävalko has been directing the Arctic Centre of the University of Lapland since 2021.
Chelsea Koch - Board Member (Term ends 2026)
American University
Washington, District of Columbia
Chelsea Koch is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Science at American University. She is a marine ecogeochemist focusing on the use of biological and chemical tracers to explore changing marine ecosystems in the Arctic. Her current research investigates how declining sea ice is changing food webs and the impacts of marine plastic pollution, both with an emphasis on subsistence resources. Accordingly, co-produced knowledge with Indigenous communities is a core guiding principle. She is currently participating as a co-production team member with the Study of Environmental Arctic Change. Chelsea has been an engaged member of the early career community as a co-founder of the Early Career Forum with the Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee and a board member for the US Association of Polar Early Career Scientists. She was a Knauss Marine Science and Policy Fellow with NOAA in 2014. She also holds experience in the international sector, serving as the Science Officer and Arctic focal point for the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. Chelsea holds a MS from the University of South Carolina and PhD from UMCES in Marine Science.
Sara Morris - Board Member (Term ends 2027)
NOAA/OAR/GML
Sara Morris is a seasoned Arctic physical scientist specializing in atmospheric and surface energy processes. She currently serves as the Atmospheric Measurements Network Team Lead at NOAA's Global Monitoring Laboratory, where she oversees operational activities across global networks and coordinates Arctic research initiatives. With a strong background in Arctic data management, instrument coordination, and field campaign leadership, she has contributed to major projects, including the MOSAiC Expedition and the SPLASH field campaign.
Sara holds an M.A. in Physical Geography with an Arctic emphasis from the University of Colorado Boulder, where she also completed her B.A.S. in Environmental Science with a Climate emphasis. Her expertise includes ground heat flux analysis, software development for data dissemination, and advancing research through initiatives such as the Virtual Arctic Research Laboratory.
Recognized with multiple NOAA awards, including the Bronze Medal for contributions to Arctic research, Sara is also deeply engaged in mentorship, science communication, and international collaborations. She actively participates in committees such as the US Arctic Observing Network Expert Committee and previously served as Secretary for the International Arctic Science Committee’s Atmosphere Working Group.
Sara holds an M.A. in Physical Geography with an Arctic emphasis from the University of Colorado Boulder, where she also completed her B.A.S. in Environmental Science with a Climate emphasis. Her expertise includes ground heat flux analysis, software development for data dissemination, and advancing research through initiatives such as the Virtual Arctic Research Laboratory.
Recognized with multiple NOAA awards, including the Bronze Medal for contributions to Arctic research, Sara is also deeply engaged in mentorship, science communication, and international collaborations. She actively participates in committees such as the US Arctic Observing Network Expert Committee and previously served as Secretary for the International Arctic Science Committee’s Atmosphere Working Group.
Kristin Schild - Board Member (Term ends 2027)
University of Maine
Dr. Kristin M. Schild is an assistant professor at the University of Maine specializing in glaciology, ice-ocean interactions, and Arctic climate processes. With a Ph.D. in Earth Sciences from Dartmouth College and a postdoctoral fellowship in Ice-Ocean Interactions at the University of Oregon, her research focuses on understanding glacier dynamics, iceberg melt rates, and the impacts of climate change on polar systems.
Dr. Schild has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications in leading journals, including studies on glacier calving mechanisms, iceberg ablation, and sediment transport in polar environments. She serves on the organizing committee for the International Glaciological Society's Northeast Glaciology Meeting and is a leadership council member for the New England Arctic Network. Additionally, she has chaired sessions at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meetings and acts as a reviewer for multiple prominent scientific journals.
Her work is supported by her expertise in remote sensing, field data collection, and interdisciplinary collaborations. Dr. Schild is also a funding referee for NASA and the National Science Foundation, contributing to advancing research in cryospheric sciences.
Dr. Schild has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications in leading journals, including studies on glacier calving mechanisms, iceberg ablation, and sediment transport in polar environments. She serves on the organizing committee for the International Glaciological Society's Northeast Glaciology Meeting and is a leadership council member for the New England Arctic Network. Additionally, she has chaired sessions at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meetings and acts as a reviewer for multiple prominent scientific journals.
Her work is supported by her expertise in remote sensing, field data collection, and interdisciplinary collaborations. Dr. Schild is also a funding referee for NASA and the National Science Foundation, contributing to advancing research in cryospheric sciences.
Alexis Will - Board Member (Term ends 2025)
World Wildlife Fund US Arctic Program
Fairbanks, Alaska
Alexis is a Marine Biologist for the World Wildlife Fund US Arctic Program. She works on area-based conservation, research, outreach, and shipping projects that contribute to maintaining a healthy Arctic ecosystem for the people and wildlife that live there. Alexis participates in the ArcNet working group. She also supports the Arctic Program’s work on migratory corridors, underwater noise, and the ecological consequences of climate change. Her background is in seabird ecology and physiology. Prior to joining WWF, Alexis studied how seabird migration, breeding success, diet, and physiology change in response to changes in sea ice and climate regimes over short (5 year) and long (100 year) time scales. Outside of work, she loves backpacking, camping, and skiing (of all kinds).