Twyla Thurmond’s Inupiaq name is, Aanauruq, named after her late maternal grandmother - Sophie Nayokpuk. Twyla was born in Shishmaref and spent the majority of her childhood living there. She worked for the Shishmaref IRA(TRIBE) directly and represented the entire community in relation to protection and expansion efforts. Her primary duty in this position was to coordinate efforts in relation to expansion, and erosion protection. She pursued and maintained collaborative communications with State and Federal agencies and our local Governments. Twyla also helped the Shishmaref people by way of advocacy through networking-so that together they are able to make informed decisions in relation to the Shishmaref Erosion & Site Expansion Coalition(SESEC). The Coalition consists of the village local governments as well as our Elders and Youth Committees. The governing bodies consist of The Tribe(IRA), City Of Shishmaref, and the Shishmaref Native Corporation. The Coalition works together to help the community prioritize protections, seek out grants for projects, and to build resiliency in pursuit of a more sustainable future.