IARPC Secretariat
Lesley Anderson
Acting Executive Secretary
leanders@associates.nsf.gov
Lesley Anderson received her B.S. in biology from Cal Poly, M.S. in chemistry from South Dakota State, and her Ed.D in science educational leadership from San Diego State. Lesley is a former science educator and administrator at the project-based High Tech High schools in San Diego. Over the past decade she has engaged in diverse science experiences each summer, including tracking breaching great white sharks in South Africa, working as a data analyst for at JPL, conducting sea turtle genetics research for , analyzing ice core samples from Greenland and Antarctica, sailing aboard the JOIDES Resolution supporting scientific ocean drilling, trekking to the South Pole as a PolarTREC teacher to hunt neutrinos, and serving as an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow at the Library of Congress. Lesley worked for the Antarctic Support Contract as a Science Planner before stepping into her current role as a Science Project Manager with QED supporting the Arctic Research Support and Logistics Program at the U.S. National Science Foundation.
Sorina Stalla
Implementation Director
sorina@iarpccollaborations.org
Sorina started with in 2020 and serves as a the Implementation Director. Sorina's past work has focused on different aspects of partnership development, improving science-policy interfaces, and enhancing education initiatives aimed at the federal workforce. She holds a Masters Degree in International Environmental Policy and Ocean and Coastal Resource Management.
Hazel Shapiro
US Program Analyst
hazel@iarpccollaborations.org
Hazel joined the Secretariat in 2020. She has a BA in Earth Sciences from Dartmouth College where she studied regional weather patterns in Denali, AK. Since then, she has been working in the conservation/non-profit sector, often focused on collaborative project management.
Toni O'Boyle
Policy Analyst & Director of Collaboration Team Activities
toni@iarpccollaborations.org
Toni joined theIARPC Secretariat in 2023. After receiving a BA from the University of Pennsylvania, she started her career in public relations in Washington, D.C. Her years in the communications field involved team and project management, campaign strategy, and content development in the agriculture, pharmaceutical, energy, and manufacturing industries. Originally from northern Virginia, she is now based in Denver, Colorado.
Mary Beth Armstrong
2025 Knauss Fellow
mary.beth.armstrong@noaa.gov
Mary Beth (MB) is a 2025 Knauss Fellow in the Arctic Research Program () located in NOAAs Global Ocean Monitoring and Observing Office. She supports the production of the Arctic Report Card, the Field Operations Community of Practice with , and other projects under the .
Caitlynn Tautuk Hanna
Indigenous Leadership Fellow
tautuk@iarpccollaborations.org
Caitlynn is an Iñupiaq person born and raised in Alaska and is deeply rooted in their indigenous culture and traditional activities. They are on track to complete their Master's degree in Civil Engineering with a focus on permafrost research from the University of Alaska Fairbanks () in August 2024. She received her Bachelors of Science in Civil Engineering in 2022 from . Upon graduating they hope to incorporate their indigenous identity into addressing the unique challenges facing her Arctic homeland.
Michele Yatchmeneff
Indigenous Leadership Fellow
michele@iarpccollaborations.org
Michele is a Unangax^ with roots in King Cove and False Pass. She is the only Alaska Native in the world with a PhD in Engineering Education. Her doctorial work focused on the motivation and success of pre-college Alaska Native STEM students. She became the first Alaska Native woman to teach in the College of Engineering at the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA). Her current research focuses on the belongingness of Alaska Natives in STEM and Indigenizing education. In 2018, Michele received the prestigious National Science Foundation () CAREER Award, honoring her work on “Alaska Native Belonging in High School Math and Science Classrooms.” This award was the first and only CAREER award granted at UAA until 2023. Michele was promoted to Associate Professor of Engineering in 2021. Michele has committed her career to improving Alaska Native success and was hired to serve on UAA’s Chancellor’s cabinet in an inaugural position as Executive Director for Alaska Native Education & Outreach in October 2021. She was recently awarded the national College Board Dr. Henrietta Mann Leadership Award.
Christopher Price
Arctic Community Leaders Fellow
chris@iarpccollaborations.org
Chris Price is an Arctic Community Leaders Fellow with the Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee (), where he helps elevate Arctic community priorities within federal research efforts. Based in Anchorage, he works to ensure that local knowledge, lived experience, and community needs are reflected in national research agendas.
Chris holds a Master’s degree in Ethnography and Environment from Alaska Pacific University and is committed to advancing inclusive, community-driven approaches to Arctic science. His work emphasizes meaningful partnership with Tribal communities so their perspectives guide both research and policy across the region.
Tara Corpuz
Arctic Community Leaders Fellow
tara@iarpccollaborations.org
Tara is Neets’aii Gwich'in from Dena'ina Elnena (Anchorage, AK) and Vashraii K’oo (Arctic Village, AK), and she is an enrolled member of the Native Village of Venetie Tribal Government. She currently lives on the East Coast and serves as a research intern at The Arctic Institute, where she draws on more than twelve years of experience in the publishing industry to develop and lead TAI’s new book review section. Tara holds a BA in English Literature from the University of Alaska Anchorage and is currently a graduate student at Harvard Extension School pursuing a certificate in Natural Resources Management and Sustainable Ecosystems. Her research focuses on the socio-ecological relationships connecting the Gwich'in, the Porcupine caribou herd, and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge; the structural limitations of U.S. conservation policy; and the role of Indigenous governance in addressing climate change and biodiversity loss. Through Collaborations, Tara brings a Gwich'in-centered and story-driven perspective to interdisciplinary teams working at the intersection of science, policy, and Indigenous stewardship of Arctic homelands.