AlexAnna Salmon
Building a sustainable future for her region of Alaska by preserving its culture while embracing innovation.
AlexAnna Salmon grew up in Igiugig, a small Alaska Native village where her Yup’ik and Aleut ancestors have lived for generations. She spent her childhood fishing, picking berries, and learning from her elders, especially her grandmother, who instilled in her the belief of ciuqlirput ciuniurluku taugaam—“toward our future only.” In 2008, just a week before graduating from Dartmouth College with a degree in Native American Studies and Anthropology, her father, a longtime community leader, died in a tragic plane crash.
Salmon returned home to work directly with her village, building a community greenhouse—one of her father’s ideas. By the end of the year, she became president of the Igiugig Village Council and, since, has built a new health clinic, upgraded the village’s power systems, and established a Yup’ik language program. She’s also spearheaded the transition to renewable energy with a hydro-powered system. “Locally driven solutions,” Salmon says, “are the only ones that will be sustainable.”
For thousands of years, the people of Igiugig have passed down their traditions, language, and way of life through storytelling and song. But neither Igiugig nor the broader region has a dedicated space where this Indigenous culture can be preserved, celebrated, and taught. As an Emerson Collective Fellow, Salmon will build the Igiugig Community Cultural Center, where future generations can learn from their ancestors.
With a grand opening planned for August 2026, as the United States is in the midst of commemorating its semiquincentennial, the center will serve as a gathering place for cultural events, language programs, and community learning. It is also designed to be the first fossil-fuel-free building in the region. But the project is about more than just a building—it’s about protecting Igiugig’s identity for generations to come. “Our testimony of living in this homeland for over 8,000 years is the strongest voice we have for stewarding our lands and waters,” Salmon says.