NEWS: ‘Wáahlaal Gíidaak Barbara Blake Honored As 2025 Forbes Sustainability Leader

Announcement Recognizes Years of Work as a Leader on Local, Indigenous and Ocean Issues

JUNEAU, ALASKA – Ocean Conservancy’s Vice President of Arctic and Northern Waters ‘Wáahlaal Gíidaak Barbara Blake was today honored as a 2025 Forbes Sustainability Leader for her work to protect the waters and lands of the North. The award recognizes 50 global leaders setting the pace for a just, sustainable economy and defining what climate leadership looks like today.

“This isn’t a career path, it is an ancestral responsibility I was born into,” said ‘Wáahlaal Gíidaak. “Every space I serve, from Ocean Conservancy to the boardroom at Sealaska, is an extension of that responsibility. My ultimate goal is not just to protect what we have, but to help co-create a world where Indigenous Peoples lead with the wisdom of our ancestors and the vision of our youth.”

‘Wáahlaal Gíidaak leads Ocean Conservancy’s work in Alaska and across the Arctic, which includes advancing protections for the Central Arctic Ocean, supporting Indigenous sentinels and guardian programs, safeguarding critical fisheries, and helping launch the Indigenous Law of the Sea. 

Before her current role, she served as Senior Director of the Alaska Native Policy Center with First Alaskans Institute, where she uplifted the self-determination of Alaska Native peoples. She received her master’s degree from University of Alaska Fairbanks, focusing her thesis on fisheries development in rural Alaska. ‘Wáahlaal Gíidaak is from Prince of Wales Island and currently lives in Dzántik’i Héeni (Juneau) on Lingít Aaní. She is of Haida, Tlingit and Ahtna Athabascan descent and belongs to the Káat nay-st/Yahkw Jáanaas (Shark House/Middle Town People) Clan.

‘Wáahlaal Gíidaak serves on the board of Sealaska, where she helped steer the corporation away from extractive practices, including clear-cutting in the Tongass, toward an investment portfolio grounded in Indigenous values and the duty to protect homelands and waters. This shift has strengthened profits while supporting sustainable enterprises that honor cultural ties to land and sea.

She is slated to speak in New York City on Monday during Climate Week, highlighting how initiatives such as the Indigenous Law of the Sea can reframe marine policy through indigenous law and stewardship practices that have sustained communities and ocean habitats for millennia.

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