Professional Affiliation

Author of Welp: Climate Change & Arctic Identities; Climate Justice Director, Native Movement

Expert Bio

Ms. Stith is a lifelong Alaskan passionate about the Arctic and environmental justice. She has organized 26 events at the Polar Institute, managed the scholarly publication Polar Perspectives, and produced the blog column Polar Points. Ms. Stith also handled communications including @PolarInstitute on Twitter and the New Security Beat column Navigating the Poles. In May 2021, Ms. Stith published her debut travel memoir set in Norway, Iceland, and Alaska: Welp: Climate Change and Arctic Identities.

Before joining the Wilson Center she lived and worked in Tromsø, Norway as a Hart Leadership Fellow and, later, as an Associate at the Arctic Council Indigenous Peoples’ Secretariat. She provided assistance to Indigenous Peoples' organizations in their international policy work and supported events like the 6th Arctic Leaders' Summit. As a first generation college graduate from Duke University, Michaela earned Graduation with Distinction in Environmental Science & Policy for her thesis on Arctic cruise ship regulation.

Expertise

• climate science and climate justice
• community-based research and community organizing
• Arctic cooperation

Major Publications

Stith, Michaela (May 2020). “Defining Traditional Knowledge in the Arctic Council,” EU Horizon 2020 InterACT Working Package 9. https://eu-interact.org/app/uploads/2017/11/D9.1.pdf.

Arctic Council Indigenous Peoples’ Secretariat and UiT University Library (Sept 2019). “Ságastallamin: Telling the Story.” https://sagastallamin.com/.

https://eu-interact.org/app/uploads/2017/11/D9.1.pdf