Debra Lekanoff
Washington State Representative (Position 1, 40th Legislative District), USA
Representative Debra Lekanoff represents the 40th legislative district of Washington state. She is a proud mom who fights every day to ensure younger generations can continue to flourish. She is inclusive in her decision-making process by listening to stakeholders, citizens and governmental bodies. She is known for her experience and capacity to work with vast parties, and on vast issues, and to get the job done. Sworn in to the Washington State House of Representatives in January 2019, Lekanoff is the only Native American woman to currently serve in the State’s Legislature.
She has called the Skagit Valley home for almost 20 years. In addition to serving in the Legislature, Representative Lekanoff served as Governmental Affairs Director for the Swinomish Tribe. With over 20 years of government relations experience, she engages on a variety of issues at the international, federal, tribal, state and local levels. Her background and experience provide valuable knowledge and perspectives that allow her to lead on a wide range of policy issues, including but not limited to, environment, natural resources, climate change, education, housing and agriculture.
SPEAKERS & MODERATORS
Jerome Aucan
Head of the Pacific Community Center for Ocean Science, The Pacific Community (SPC), Fiji/New Caledonia
Claudia C. Baron-Aguilar
Ph.D. student, University of South Florida (USF) & Member of the Wayuu indigenous community
Silvia Chacon-Barrantes
Coordinator, National Tsunami Monitoring System (SINAMOT)
Professor, National University of Costa Rica
Anna-Katharina Hornidge
Director, German Development Institute/Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE), Germany
Simone Pennafirme
Manager, Marine Life Center, Secretariat for Environment of the City Hall of Rio de Janeiro
Jacqueline Yamileth Rivera Ayala
Civil engineer and vulcanological monitoring coordinator, Hazards Monitoring Center, DOA, MARN
Emiliano Rodriguez Nuesch
Director at Pacifico risk communications agency and consultant in risk communications and behavioral science
Vladimir Ryabinin
Executive Secretary, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO
Raul Salazar
Chief of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), Secretariat for the Americas, Panama
Ria Sen
Lead Preparedness Officer, Global Emergency Telecommunications Cluster, World Food Programme
Sebastian Unger
Head of Ocean Governance Research Group, Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS), Potsdam, Germany
Christa von Hillebrandt-Andrade
Deputy Director, International Tsunami Information Center, Caribbean Office, Puerto Rico