Environmental leaders honored nationwide

Small Towns
Farm and Food
Contact(s)

Anna Johnson, farm and community manager, 402.687.2100, ext. 1027 or [email protected]; or Rhea Landholm, communications manager, 402.687.2100 ext. 1025 or [email protected]

LYONS, NEBRASKA - Individuals from across the nation have been recognized by the third annual Environmental Leader Awards, an independent project administratively supported by the Center for Rural Affairs and made possible by the Walton Family Foundation.

The Environmental Leader Awards honor accomplished leaders in the field of environmental stewardship. The award recognizes individuals with a proven track record and promise of future advancement in the field, prioritizing individuals who work in rural communities.

“The group of 2024 awards recipients is doing an amazing array of environmental justice work,” said Anna Johnson, farm and community manager with the Center for Rural Affairs. “We are thrilled to be able to honor their work in this way.”

2024 awards recipients include:

Wilda Anagal (Diné) - Flagstaff, Arizona. Anagal leads the just transition for Diné communities of Black Mesa, Arizona. She is committed to her community in seeking a sustainable future through her ongoing advocacy and community engagement.

Imani Black - Easton, Maryland. Founder and CEO of Minorities in Aquaculture, Black is committed to bridging the gap between underrepresented communities and the aquaculture industry by empowering diverse individuals to become leaders and multidisciplinary professionals. Through initiatives like aquaculture internships and their Minorities On Course Captains program, Minorities in Aquaculture has been advancing workforce development, promoting environmental stewardship within coastal communities, and highlighting aquaculture’s role in sustainable food security nationally and globally.

Shelley Buffalo - Tama, Iowa. Buffalo is a Meskwaki artist, seedkeeper, farmer, and community organizer for food sovereignty and environmental justice in the Midwest.

Betty Gobert Chenier - Opelousas, Louisiana. Chenier has farmed in rural Louisiana for more than 30 years, raising sustainable food for a wide customer base and building and nurturing her community.

Angie Comeaux - New Orleans, Louisiana. Comeaux works toward Indigenous food sovereignty and climate justice through Indigenous-led collective Okla Hina Ikish Holo, Hvrvnrvcukwv Ueki-honecv, and with the Intertribal Agriculture Council.

Natasha Hayden - Kodiak, Alaska. Hayden has advocated for Indigenous fishing rights on Kodiak Island in many ways, through work as the Native Village of Afognak’s representative on the Kodiak Island Tribal Coalition as well as during service on multiple federal advisory committees.

Sikowis Nobiss (Nêhiyaw/Saulteaux) - Iowa City, Iowa. Nobiss is the founder and executive director of Great Plains Action Society, where she and the team advocate for water rights and many other social and environmental justice issues facing the Midwest and Indigenous communities.

The final awardee opted not to be named.

Award recipients are offered $25,000 in award funds to honor their past environmental work.