Our Team
Our Team
The College of Indigenous Studies is here to serve our students. Our team knows the
needs of Alaska’s rural and Native communities and are ready to assist you in meeting
your goals.
There are College of Indigenous Studies employees spread across the state ready to
work with you, no matter where you are.
Teisha Simmons
Dean
Brooks Building
After serving as interim dean since August 2024, Teisha Simmons was selected as the permanent dean of the College of Indigenous Studies in May 2025.
Simmons, whose Denaakk’e name is ±·²¹²µ²µ²¹°ì°ì’o, is from the communities of Galena, Koyukuk, and Huslia. She brings over 20 years of experience in higher education and Indigenous leadership, including past roles as director of the Interior Alaska Campus, assistant professor in the Human Services Program, and project lead within the psychology department. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s in clinical-community psychology.
Chukchi Campus Staff
Minnie Naylor is originally from Kotzebue and has family from Noatak and Shishmaref. Minnie graduated from UAF in 2008 with a BA in Rural Development with an emphasis in Community Organizations and Services. In 2022, she earned her MA in Rural Development from the Department of Alaska Native Studies and Rural Development.
Chukchi Campus Faculty
KuC Staff
Thomas Daniel
Library Circulation Assistant
tdaniel10@alaska.edu | 907-543-4544Kuskokwim Consortium Library
Glenn Balanza
RHS Program Administrator
uaf-rhs-hums@alaska.edu | 907-543-4519Room 105A
gbalanza@alaska.edu
Mikayla Miller
Library Youth Services Assistant
msmiller8@alaska.edu | 907-543-4571Kuskokwim Consortium Library
Marybeth Whalen
Yupiit Piciryarait Cultural Center Manager
mrwhalen@alaska.edu | 907-543-4538Yupiit Piciryarait Cultural Center
KuC Faculty
Lisa Strecker
Assistant Professor of Anthropology/Ethnobotany
lstrecker@alaska.edu | 907-699-6414Healy
Sally Samson, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Yup'ik and Culture
spsamson@alaska.edu | 907-543-4530Room 115
NWC Staff
Gwendalyn Manniq Trigg-Stettenbenz
Admissions and Records Coordinator
gltriggkomakhuk@alaska.edu | 907-443-8403
With 16 years of dedication to the aviation industry under her belt, Nina Stimpfle is excited to transition her skills and passion to serve the UAF community as the Business Office Manager at Northwest Campus. Nina was raised in Nome and is now proudly raising her own family in her childhood hometown. Outside of her professional life, she is deeply connected to subsistence living and enjoys creative pursuits like sewing, beading, and pottery.
NWC Faculty
Ryan Ford
Construction Trades Technology Program
jford23@alaska.edu | 907-223-1287Construction Trades Technology program
Jackie Hrabok
Cooperative Extension and High Latitude Range Management
jhrabok@alaska.edu | 907-443-8412Cooperative Extension Program