Adelheid Herrmann

Career From 1983 to 1989 Herrmann was a member of the Alaska House of Representatives, representing Naknek for the Democratic Party in the 13th, 14th and 15th legislatures.

she is a post-doctoral research assistant at the International Arctic Research Center (IARC) at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where her areas of expertise are climate adaptation and social science; she is working on a project "with the goal of building the capacity of rural communities to respond and adapt to climate change." She has worked with the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment & Preparedness (ACCAP) as a co-investigator, researching and contributing information about the effects of climate change for Native Alaskans. Part of this research has meant creating resources such as schematics and infographics to clarify the workings of Indigenous Alaskan tribes and communities for political agencies or academics working on fundings for or research on Native areas. The graphs primarily focus on visualizing two things: the internal stressors of tribal members and external entities they collaborate with to adapt to climate change. Her June 2024 materials were released online and over 1,000 people accessed the research in the first two weeks they were available. She is also a member of the Council of Elders of Alaska Pacific University, a body whose mission is "to support, strengthen, and ensure the development, integration, and prioritization of encompassing Alaska Native knowledge, language, values, perspectives, history, and concerns in education at Alaska Pacific University". As a member of the Council of Elders, Herrmann aims to implement the "tribal college concept" which places Native Alaskans themselves as the head of their educational path. Herrmann is a member of the Polar Research Board (PRB) of the National Academies which provides guidance on issues in cold regions of the world like the Arctic and Antarctic.