Matt (He/Him) has been doing conservation and restoration work for nearly 5 years. He got started doing internships at the nonprofit Wisdom of the Elders, eventually moving on to crew leading and working full time for years with their LLC. He joined the Green Workforce Academy program to further his skills, which eventually led to him doing the Adult Urban Forestry Program with Friends of Trees and Vancouver Urban Forestry. Matt also has worked as a seasonal hire, working for Portland Parks and Rec: Urban Forestry with their science and outreach division. He now works for Forest Park Conservancy as a Land Stewardship Manager.
Matt is a volunteer member of Multnomah County Search and Rescue, fisherman, a mushroom hunting enthusiast, forager, writer, and a proud citizen of the Metepenagiag Mi’kmaq Nation. Being raised off and on reserve throughout his life made him both connected and disconnected at times to the natural world. Increasing urban and non-urban indigenous peoples’ access and direct stewardship/ownership back to our lands is both a passion for him and an ecological requirement for the world moving forward.
Lisa Collins (she/hers) is an educational professional with 25 years of experience. She holds degrees in psychology and education and works as an assistant professor at Lewis and Clark College and as a business consultant. As a learning and development professional, Lisa supports talent management and business partners to solve workforce challenges. She brings a gender and equity lens to her working environments. Lisa can see multiple perspectives and creates a community. Lisa serves on the Oregon Assembly of Black Affairs, the advisory board for Strategies of Trauma Awareness and Resilience with Eastern Mennonite University, On The Inside, art-based services for incarnated women, and has served on Oregon School Employee Wellness Conference Committee.
Lisa is an environmental justice advocate; she participated in the 2022 Love Is King Project Roam, which allows BIPOC people to step into the realm of public land and freshwater conservation. As a climate advocate, Lisa participated in the Shades of Water. She advocated for the passage of the River Democracy Act, introduced by Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, to protect Oregon rivers. Creatively, Lisa is a playwright with works produced in New York (Manhattan Repertory Theater) and Portland (Hipbone, and Portland Center Stage, the Armory). Her short film, Be Careful What You Ask For, serves as a discussion platform for racial healing discussions and has been accepted into several film festivals.
Love is king Welcomes Aiyesha as a guide leader for LIK-ROAM Expeditions Aiyesha is an independent biracial one-woman-owned business. Growing up in the PNW, Aiyesha spent her childhood fishing in its beautiful rivers, camping in the lush wilderness, and swimming in the frigid ocean. During her adventures trail mix was the go-to snack, and as she matured so did her taste buds. She began to find conventional trail mix too salty or too sweet.
Every brand seemed to have the same ingredients. Aiyesha wanted a mix that utilized the diversity of endless flavors. Tapping in to her creativity, love, and knowledge of food, Nomad was born.
Founder / Owner – NOMAD TRAIL MIX / www.nomadmix.com
Love is king ROAM leaders, Alaska Wilderness League Task Force
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is one of the finest examples of wilderness remaining anywhere in the world. Places like Yellowstone, Yosemite, and the Grand Canyon define what it means to be American. The Arctic Refuge is one of these places. To that end, members of Congress must join Indigenous leaders and a majority of Americans who support protecting this national treasure.
Alaska Wilderness League in alliance with Love is King is proud to announce the historic launching of the Alaska Wilderness League Activation Council. This marks a unique partnership between a BIPOC organization and a traditional conservation group to unite and cultivate BIPOC leaders to activate their leadership and build advocacy around protecting the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
“We are combining our human capital to defend the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from destructive oil and gas development,” said Chad Brown, found of Love Is King. “We’re learning from and following the leadership of the Gwich’in, who have lived in this place since time began.” Alaska is home to Native Tribes who have, for millennia, relied on Alaska’s lands and waters for their way of life. Alaska is home to an irreplaceable diversity of peoples, wildlife, and ecosystems.
This partnership is uniquely positioned to engage, enlighten and activate Congress to take action to restore long-standing bipartisan protections that have protected the Arctic Refuge from oil and gas development for decades. The Council will help establish dialogue channels and launch conversations with decision makers that have not traditionally been a part of the efforts to protect the Arctic Refuge. Our purpose is to continue to protect and strengthen our current environmental laws, preventing legislative attempts to undermine our environmental progress.
