doi:10.7916/jpmz-7v62Oral history interview with Melanie R. Bahnke, 2022Bahnke, Melanieoral historiesmixed materialPresidents--United StatesClimatic changes--AlaskaClimate change mitigation--AlaskaAlaska Native womenBering Sea Coast (Alaska) Environmental aspects 21st centuryBahnke, MelanieObama, BarackKawerak IncAlaska. Redistricting BoardMelanie Bahnke reflects on her service as president and CEO of Kawerak, a non-profit organization that provides a wide range of services to residents of the Bering Strait region in Alaska, and supports Alaska Native communities. Bahnke focuses on her selection for, and participation in, a roundtable discussion with President Obama during the GLACIER (Global Leadership in the Arctic: Cooperation, Innovation, Engagement and Resilience) Conference in 2015. She recalls joking with Obama, as well as discussing potential government actions to address the effects of climate change in Alaska. She also considers Obama's signing of Executive Order 13754 (on Northern Bering Sea Climate Resilience) in December 2016, and outlines how the creation of the Northern Bering Sea Climate Resilience Area was both a victory and only the beginning of the protections required to prevent climate change disasters in the region. Also discussed are Bahnke's culturally-rich childhood in Savoonga, Alaska; subsistence lifestyles; work/life balance; and her experience serving on the Council of Advancement for Alaska Natives and on the Alaska Redistricting Board in 2021