Leadership Beyond Our Schools

Encompassing 19.3 million acres of pristine wilderness in northeast Alaska, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is among the most highly contested conservation landscapes in the United States. Lisa Collins, assistant clinical professor of educational leadership at the graduate school, is part of an environmental justice team dedicated to protecting it.

Collins recently traveled to the small town of Vashraii K’oo, or Arctic Village, located deep within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, to attend an emergency meeting called by the Gwich’in elders.

The Refuge, located on the traditional homelands of the Iñupiat and Gwich’in peoples, has no roads or facilities, sustains rich cultural traditions, and provides critical habitat for wildlife. A section of the land is also under constant threat of being opened to oil drilling.

Board members and staff of the Alaskan Wilderness League.Collins offers a history of the area, explaining that what is now the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge was originally established as the Arctic National Wildlife Range. When it was renamed under the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) of 1980, it was also expanded to include an additional 9.2 million acres of protected land. However, ANILCA left a 1.5-million-acre parcel of coastal plain unprotected and open to future oil and gas debate. This area—known to the Gwich’in people as the place where life begins, but designated by the United States government as simply “Area 1002”—is the birthing grounds for the local Porcupine Caribou Herd, which the Gwich’in people depend on for both food and cultural survival.

The emergency meeting was called to discuss the threats to the Arctic and Gwich’in homelands, including extractive projects that endanger sacred lands, water, and the Porcupine Caribou Herd. Participants strategized how to stand in solidarity, elevate Indigenous leadership, and use both legal and advocacy channels to protect the region.

“It was a powerful gathering that drew Native leaders, allies, and organizational partners from across Alaska, Canada, and the lower 48,” shares Collins. “Alaskan Natives attended in large numbers, including representatives from Venetie and other interior villages, as well as those who had moved to Fairbanks, Anchorage, or even farther away and returned home for the meeting. Native support also came from Indigenous leaders in Canada and Native people who currently reside in the lower 48.”

Collins says although drilling is not currently imminent, it is a constant threat. Despite ongoing advocacy and legal victories that have slowed development, the issue is unresolved. A single policy shift could open this irreplaceable landscape to industrial extraction. She describes her work as part of the advocacy team as both humbling and urgent.

Collins has a history of environmental justice work, first visiting Vashraji K’oo in 2022 with the organization Love Is King. Love Is King cultivates leaders of color to engage deeply with environmental justice and to use their voices in spaces where decisions are made. She also serves as co-chair of the governance committee on the board of directors for the Alaska Wilderness League.

“Experiencing the village of Vashraji K’oo for the first time moved me to support the longevity of their way of life,” says Collins. “Traveling up the Dalton Highway and witnessing the pipeline cutting across the landscape—while also hiking the tundra and camping in the Brooks Range—made it clear to me how fragile this ecosystem is and how urgently it needs protection. From that moment, I was committed to advocating for the land, the people, and the animals who depend on it.”

Collins had the unique opportunity to sit in the copilot's seat for the flight in.Collins sees strong connections between her work as an advocate for environmental justice and her career as an educational leader, and she strives to model how leadership must extend beyond the walls of schools into the wider struggles for justice.

“Issues of leadership are not isolated—they are social, political, environmental, and organizational,” she says. “My national board work, lobbying, and coalition building all expand my perspective, which I bring back to my students and colleagues.”

Whether protecting Oregon’s rivers, meeting with government leaders, or advancing local and national advocacy efforts, Collins integrates environmental justice into her leadership practice as both a responsibility and a way to strengthen communities across all levels.

Education in Leadership

Educational Administration