Marlene Watson has been named the winner of the 2023 Ely S. Parker Award by AISES. The award is the highest honor given and will be presented to Watson at the National Conference Closing Banquet on October 21 in Spokane, Wash.
Ely S. Parker was a Seneca Nation chief in the 19th century who broke down barriers and established a legacy that continues to inspire Indigenous leaders today.
Watson, a civil engineer with the U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs, has had a distinguished career spanning 38 years.
She leads a technical administrative team responsible for managing the Tribal Transportation Program (TTP).
In addition to engineering, Watson’s background includes diverse roles such as training specialist, chaplain, architectural designer, civil designer, job captain, and project manager.
She is also trained in disaster management, homeland security, and emergency management, and serves as a Brigade Chaplain with the Alaska State Defense Force, with the rank of Captain.
Watson is a Sequoyah Fellow and a dedicated member of AISES, where she has held several leadership positions.
She joined the Board of Directors in 1995 and helped guide the AISES headquarters transition from Colorado to New Mexico.
She later served as chair of the Membership Committee and secretary of the Board of Directors from 2009 to 2010 and 2012 to 2015.
She was also a member of the Editorial Advisory Council for Winds of Change magazine and vice president of AISES Publishing, Inc. from 2014 to 2015.
Watson has also facilitated National Conference sessions for student advisors and presented at National and Regional Conferences.
Watson has been a strong advocate for Indigenous people in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), and has been involved in professional and student chapter development at AISES.
She co-founded the first California AISES Professional Chapter in 1993 and, when she relocated to Pasadena, Calif., she co-founded the Southern California AISES Professional Chapter and served as president. She is also a Full Circle mentor.
Watson is Navajo (Diné) from Wide Ruins, Arizona, and Tohlakai, New Mexico, and was raised in Oakland, Calif. Her clans are Kinlichii’nii (Red House People) and Nakai Diné (Mexican Clan People).
She has an impressive academic record, holding three master’s degrees (a Master of Divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary in 2012, an M.S. in Civil Engineering, Construction and Engineering Management from UC Berkeley in 1992, and an M.A. in Architecture from UC Berkeley in 1991), two bachelor’s degrees (a B.A. in Christian Ministry in 2004 and a B.A. in Architecture from UC Berkeley in 1985), and an A.A. in Biblical Studies from 2002.
Watson has received several other prestigious awards, including the Alaska Humanitarian Service Medal (2023), the Alaska Community Service Medal (2023), and the Alaska Native Commendation Medal (2019).
She was instrumental in launching the first Indigenous Peoples’ Day declaration in the City of Berkeley, Calif., in 1992, and last year, she contributed innovative artwork for the Turtle Island Monument Project in Berkeley’s Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park.
The monument commemorates the lasting history, beauty, and resilience of the Native nations of Turtle Island.
Year after year, AISES embarks on a quest to identify and applaud the absolute best in the world of Indigenous STEM, and we are proud to announce Marlene Watson (Navajo) has emerged as the shining beacon of excellence! ✨Read more about Marlene at https://t.co/HPnv3wBhNd pic.twitter.com/rDW25h3iSN
— AISES (@AISES) September 22, 2023
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