Dear Cultural Survival Community,
I wanted to share with you some news about an exciting transition happening at Cultural Survival in 2024. After nearly four and half years as the Executive Director of Cultural Survival, I will be transitioning at the request of the Securing Indigenous Peoples Rights in the Green Economy (SIRGE) Coalition's Executive Committee to take on leadership at the Coalition.
Over the past four and a half years, Cultural Survival has been a home to me as I took on my first role as an executive director. Through this time, I have been honored to work in relationship with inspiring Indigenous leaders and communities around the globe as we supported them through grantmaking, advocacy, communications, and capacity building. I feel positive that I am handing off my executive role at Cultural Survival in a very good place financially and with expanded staff size and skills to fit the current needs and programming of the organization.
As we enter 2024, the world’s attention is focused on a green energy transition and I feel called to devote my full energy to addressing the growing pressure Indigenous Peoples face from extractive industry through the work of the SIRGE Coalition. Cultural Survival is a founding member of the SIRGE Coalition and has played a major role in stewarding the Coalition in its growth. With a more focused leadership role at the SIRGE Coalition, and with the support of Cultural Survival, we will work together to address the pressing threats facing Indigenous Peoples and the planet we all share.
My last day as Cultural Survival Executive Director will be February 19, 2024. Our Deputy Executive Director, Mark Camp, has humbly agreed to step up and take on leadership as the Board conducts the search for my successor.
I would like to thank you, as a member of the Cultural Survival community, for sharing your commitment, support, and energy in advancing the rights of Indigenous Peoples worldwide during my leadership. Cultural Survival is doing amazing work in the world guided by its mission of supporting Indigenous Peoples’ self-determination, cultures, and political resilience. The work is highly visible and appreciated by many: our partners, our communities, our funders, our Elders, and the larger global network.
I am excited about the path ahead and I look forward to continuing the work alongside you and Cultural Survival in this movement.
Galina Angarova (Buryat)
Executive Director
Dear Cultural Survival Community,
Please join me in sending Galina a great amount of gratitude, aloha, and positive energies as she transitions from her role as Cultural Survival’s Executive Director into her upcoming leadership role with the SIRGE Coalition, and in celebrating with gratitude all she has accomplished in these past four and a half years!
Galina has been a committed, dedicated, and skilled leader who has led Cultural Survival to where it is today, as a recognized and respected organization in the Indigenous rights movement. Galina spearheaded many efforts in the growth, development, and success of the organization and led us to greater horizons and greener pastures. Under Galina’s exceptional leadership, our staff size doubled from 20 to 41 and our budget increased from $2.5 million in 2019 to $9 million in 2024!
Just months into her position, the world was rocked by the global pandemic. Galina steered our work with grace and calm, ensuring that Cultural Survival was able to pivot towards providing urgent COVID-19 response to Indigenous communities at risk. Rather than shrink our work during the pandemic, we expanded, stepping up to serve those in need through public health messaging in Indigenous languages, small grants to communities, and support for local radio stations that were coordinating information.
At the same time, Galina led Cultural Survival through a strategic planning process, refining our work into four strategies of Advocacy, Grantmaking, Communications, and Capacity Building, working on five programmatic priorities of urgency and importance to Indigenous communities which include Indigenous women and youth; climate change solutions; Indigenous community media; lands and livelihoods; and language and cultures.
In addition, she initiated the formation of the Securing Indigenous Peoples’ Rights in the Green Economy (SIRGE) Coalition, which has become her new focused calling and is a crucial area of advocacy for Indigenous Peoples’ rights.
We cannot thank Galina enough for her unwavering dedication, commitment, passion, and the motivation she has given Cultural Survival over the past four and a half years, and wish her luck in her new endeavors. We look forward to working alongside Galina as a member of the SIRGE Coalition. Galina’s leadership leaves a lasting impact on Cultural Survival and she will always be a part of the Cultural Survival genealogy and history.
Our Deputy Executive Director, Mark Camp, will take on leadership in the interim as search for Galina's successor. Over the next few months, we will be conducting a search to find Cultural Survival’s new Executive Director and the job announcement will be posted soon.
Thank you for your continued commitment and unwavering support.
Kaimana Barcarse (Kanaka Hawai'i)
Chair of Board
