In June, AWA’s Executive Director Nicole Schmitt was invited to the White House for an event called Communities in Action: Building a Better Alaska.
Communities in Action is part of a White House series that invites a bi-partisan group of local elected officials and community leaders from each state to provide updates on how the administration’s policies are delivering progress on issues of concern in their communities. AWA was joined by prominent Alaskan legislators, nonprofit leaders, mayors, corporate leaders, and agency officials.
The half-day forum, held in person at the White House, featured talks and Q&A sessions with administration leaders across a broad variety of issues. Sessions included time with Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, Deputy Director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs Dan Koh, White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi, American Rescue Plan Coordinator Gene Sperling, Special Assistant to the President for Community Public Health and Disparities Catherine Oakar, White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) Chair Brenda Mallory. Nicole was honored to be invited to speak on Alaska's wildlife and habitat issues, bringing the voices of Alaska's wildlife to the administration’s leadership. To read the White House read-out from the event, click here.
We thank the Biden-Harris administration for inviting AWA and taking seriously the issues that face Alaska’s wildlife. We also thank all the members and volunteers who make our work possible. Together, we are elevating the interests of wildlife to local, state, and federal decision-makers and making a difference for Alaska’s wildlife.
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