Sequoyah Fellow Marlene Watson is the recipient of the 2023 Ely S. Parker Award, the highest professional honor AISES confers. The award is named for Ely S. Parker, a 19th-century Seneca Nation leader who broke multiple racial barriers while establishing an enduring legacy that continues to inspire today’s Indigenous leaders. Watson, like all recipients of the award, has followed along the path of Ely S. Parker.
A longtime AISES member Watson has amply demonstrated her commitment to the organization’s mission. She held a seat on the Board of Directors from 1995 to 1997, helping to guide the AISES headquarters transition from Colorado to New Mexico. She later filled other roles including chair of the Membership Committee and secretary of the Board of Directors from 2009 to 2010, and again from 2012 to 2015. She also served on the Editorial Advisory Council for Winds of Change magazine and as vice president of AISES Publishing, Inc., from 2014 to 2015. She has often assisted in the coordination and facilitation of National Conference sessions for student advisors and as a presenter at National and Regional Conferences.
As a clinically-trained chaplain, she works with an interdisciplinary team to provide the best care to Alaska Native and American Indian people from across the largest state.
A principal focus for Watson at AISES has been professional and student chapter development, and she has extended herself as a Full Circle mentor. She co-founded the first California AISES Professional Chapter in 1993, and when she relocated to Pasadena, Calif., she co-founded the Southern California AISES Professional Chapter and served as president.
Watson, Navajo (Diné), is from Tohlaki, N.M. , Wide Ruins, Ariz., and Oakland, Calif. Her clans are Kinlichii’nii (Red House People), and Nakai Diné (Mexican Clan People). Her record of academic achievement is impressive. She holds three master’s degrees: a master of divinity (Fuller Theological Seminary, 2012), an MS in civil engineering, construction and architecture (UC Berkeley, 1992), and an MA in architecture (UC Berkeley, 1991; two bachelor’s degrees: a BA degree in Christian ministry (2004) and a BA in architecture (UC Berkeley, 1985); and an AA in biblical studies (2002).
Her distinguished and varied career spans nearly four decades. Currently a civil engineer with the U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs, Watson leads a technical administrative team responsible for program and project management of the Tribal Transportation Program (TTP). Beyond engineering, her background includes a list of diverse roles: training specialist, chaplain, architectural designer, civil designer, job captain, and project manager. This versatile professional is trained in disaster management, homeland security, and emergency management and serves as a brigade chaplain with the Alaska Defense Force, with the rank of captain.
Watson has participated in the clinical pastoral education (CPE) one-year chaplain residency program at Providence Alaska Medical Center and volunteers at the award-winning Alaska Native Medical Center. As a clinically trained chaplain, she works with an interdisciplinary team to provide the best care to Alaska Native and American Indian people from across the largest state.
The Ely S. Parker Award is one of her many impressive honors, which reflect her strong leadership in serving others. Her awards include the Alaska Humanitarian Service Medal (2023), the Alaska Community Service Medal (2023), and the Alaska Native Commendation Medal (2019). In 1992 she was instrumental in launching the first Indigenous Peoples’ Day declaration in the City of Berkeley, Calif., where she was part of the Indigenous Peoples’ Day committee. Last year — 30 years later —she worked with another Indigenous artist to contribute innovative artwork for the Turtle Island Monument Project in Berkeley’s Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park. The monument commemorates the lasting history, beauty, and resilience of the Native nations of Turtle Island.
The AISES Professional Awards are bestowed on individuals who have made significant contributions to the STEM workplace. The winners, chosen in several categories from the many outstanding nominees, are selected by a committee representing corporate, academic, government, foundation, and tribal AISES partners. To learn more about this year’s Professional Award winners, see the Fall 2023 issue of Winds of Change or watch the video below each photo.
Professional of the Year
Joseph Owle
Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians | member and secretary of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Executive Excellence
John DesjarlaisNihinaw Métis | Indigenous Resource Network
Unfortunately, John was unable to attend the Closing Banquet. His video will be shown at next year's AISES National Conference in San Antonio.
Technical Excellence
Keith Parker
Yurok Tribe of California | member and senior fisheries biologist
Most Promising Engineer or Scientist
Aurora White
Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians | Stellantis
Blazing Flame
Heather HecklerBrothertown Indian Nation | General Motors
Indigenous Exellence
Ashley Lomboy
Waccamaw Siouan | Corning Corporation and Waccamaw Siouan STEM Studio
The AISES mission and continued growth of the organization are supported and fostered by our strategic partners. These organizations — and the individuals who make them so effective — enhance and promote STEM education and careers. We are grateful for their support. Winners of the Partner Service Award, who are selected by the AISES staff, have been exceptionally supportive of the organization. Here are the 2023 recipients of the Partner Service Awards.
Advocacy Partner Service Award
American Chemical Society
Community Partner Service Award
Mirah Stacona Alexander Maras High School
Corporate Partner Service Award
Aristocrat Gaming
Educator Partner Service Award
American Indian Education Minneapolis Public Schools
Foundation Partner Service Award
W. K. Kellogg Foundation
Government Partner Service Award
Michael Hahn National Institutes of Health
Media Partner Service Award
DiversityComm, Inc.
Nonprofit Partner Service Award
Erik Stegman Native Americans in Philanthropy
Research Partner Service Award
Dr. Mia Ong TERC
Tribal Partner Service Award
WONDR NATION
Special Service Award
Joseph Moreno Cheyenne Eagle Butte Schools
Gina Del Castillo Next50 Initiative
Robert Shulte Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians
Chapters, clockwise from top left: Yale University, University of Fairbanks, McGill University, South Dakota State University, Cornell University
College Chapter of the Year Award
Yale University (YAISES)
Cultural Practice Award
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Impact Award
McGill University
Pursuit of Excellence Award
Cornell University
Outreach and Community Service Award
South Dakota State University
Advisor of the Year Award
Chris Casler-Gonçalves Cornell University
Lower Columbia/Willamette River Professional Chapter was awared Professional Chapter of the Year.
Chapter of the Year Award
Lower Columbia/Willamette River Professional Chapter
Community Service Award
AISES Texas Professional Chapter
Impact to AISES Mission Award
North Star AISES Alliance Professional Chapter
AISES recognized and thanked its Board members and provided a meaningful farewell to those who completed their terms this year.
Members of the all-volunteer AISES Board of Directors are honored at the Closing Ceremony of every National Conference where outgoing members are acknowledged and thanked, and incoming members are welcomed. Completing their terms as Board members this year are Dr. Grace Bulltail, Dr. Adrienne Laverdure, Dr. Traci L. Morris, Dr. Wendy Kah Skáahluwáa Todd, and Kristina Halona.
Directors in continuing terms are Gary Burnett, Cheroenhaka Nottoway; Jonathan Clark, San Carlos Apache Tribe; Joshua John, Navajo; Brendan Kinkade, Choctaw Nation; Melvin Monette-Barajas, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa; Katelynn Morgan, Cherokee Nation; and William B. Tiger, Miccosukee Indians of Florida.
New members of the Board, who will begin their term in November 2023, are Dr. Kenneth L. Bowen, Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina and Pee Dee Tribe of South Carolina; Dr. Roger R. Dube, Turtle Clan from the Abenaki Nation; and Makalika Naholowa’a, Native Hawaiian.
Dr. Kenneth L. Bowen is an Indigenous educator who has taken a leading role in promoting STEM education, including securing grants and designing programs. In addition to his experience as an educator, he is senior strategy and planning consultant at Bowen and Associates. He has held multiple roles in the public and private sector in areas that include business, law, finance, and operations.
The 2019 winner of the Ely S. Parker Award, Dr. Roger R Dube was named a Fulbright Scholar in 2020 for his work developing a program to increase the enrollment of Indigenous students in STEM fields at the University of Manitoba. A professor emeritus at Rochester Institute of Technology, Dr. Dube has 44 years of experience as an educator and mentor. He holds 16 patents and is an author, entrepreneur, and researcher.
Attorney Makalika Naholowa’a has long been an advocate for Indigenous people. In her current role as executive director of the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation she works to advance the interests, identity, and culture of Native Hawaiians through legal and advocacy services. In addition to traditional knowledge matters and Indigenous human rights, her practice includes intellectual property, technology, and consumer law.
Every member of the Board of Directors adds to the impressive variety of expertise these individuals contribute to AISES. Working together, they forward the AISES mission in many ways in all areas of STEM.
AISES's youngest members confidently presented their posters during the 2023 National Conference.
1st Place
Ethan Abraham
2nd Place
Jordyn Begay
3rd Place (Tie)
Amara Martin | Clarice Hutchinson | Tamarron Austin
Honorable Mention
Christian Roy
Young AISES members shined throughout the conference, particularly when sharing their posters and explaining their research.
Sky Harper
Bree Eastman
3rd Place
Gianni Lacey-Howard
Honorable Mention (Tie)
Miauaxochiti Haskie | Nizhoni Hatch
College students took advantage of the opportunity to discuss their research with conference attendees.
Caitlin Billiot
Xioa Ting (Kitty) Wang
Samantha Osman
Ian McRyhew
Students impressed the judges with their oral research presentations.
Cody Marshall
2nd Place (Tie)
Anne Martin | Jade Baanstra | Peter Thais
Andre Beno
Kaitlyn Bird
Keyara Brody
Ieshya Anderson
Mickenzie Martin
Annalise Guthrie