Staff

President of Sealaska Heritage Institute

Rosita Worl, whose Tlingit names are Yeidiklasókw and Ḵaaháni, is Tlingit of the Shangukeidí (Thunderbird) clan from the Ḵaawdliyaayi Hít (House Lowered from the Sun) in Klukwan. Ḵaaháni serves as the president of Sealaska Heritage Institute. SHI’s mission is to perpetuate and enhance the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian cultures of Southeast Alaska. She is an anthropologist and conducted research throughout Alaska and the circumpolar Arctic and served as assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Alaska Southeast. Ḵaaháni has a Ph.D. in anthropology from Harvard University and a B.A. from Alaska Methodist University. She also holds an honorary Doctor of Sciences degree from the University of Alaska Anchorage. Dr. Worl has received many honors, including the American Anthropological Association Solon T. Kimball Award for Public and Applied Anthropology and a National Humanities Medal presented to her by U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House in 2024. She has served on multiple national and statewide boards focusing on Alaska Native and Native American interests.

(Media: To request an interview with Rosita Worl, please contact Kathy Dye at kathy.dye@sealaskaheritage.com)