Bering Strait
Megan Suksraq Onders serves as Chair of the Bering Strait Development Council, the Alaska Regional Development Organization for the Bering Strait, advancing the economic and infrastructure priorities of communities. She is an elected member of the King Island Native Community Tribal Council. She is currently a graduate student, pursuing an Indigenous Studies PhD at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, focused on Inuit knowledge of the ocean and the governance of Arctic marine mammals. Megan is also an Inupiaq teacher at UAF’s Northwest and Chukchi campuses, learning Inupiat dialects of the Northwest Arctic and the Bering Strait. She has previously served as the Self-Governance Liaison for Norton Sound Health Corporation helping to establish a path to service for communities without water and sewer. Her work led to the creation of the Community Utility Assistance Cooperative, enabling Norton Sound Health Corporation and Kawerak Inc. to serve cities in the Bering Strait region for the purpose of advancing water and sewer projects. She served as a Legislative Assistant for Senator Murkowski, as well as a Professional Staff Member for the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. During her staff tenure in the Senate, she helped with the reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act and the Tribal Law and Order Act. She holds a Master’s in Applied Economics from Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from George Mason University. She is a tribal member of the King Island Native Community and shareholder of Sitnasuak Native Corporation and Bering Strait Native Corporation. She is an avid cross-country skier, yoga practitioner, and King Island Eskimo Dancer.