Winona LaDuke--an American environmentalist, economist, and author working on issues of sustainable development, renewable energy, and food systems--will be the keynote speaker for the 14th Biennial Conference's Monday evening public talk. The event, which is free and open to the public, is co-hosted by NAU's Institute for Tribal Environmental Professional in celebration of its 25th anniversary.

Ms. LaDuke lives and works on the White Earth reservation in northern Minnesota, and is a two-time vice presidential candidate with Ralph Nader for the Green Party.

As Executive Director of Honor the Earth, LaDuke works nationally and internationally on the issues of climate change, renewable energy, and environmental justice alongside Indigenous communities. In her own community, she is the founder of the White Earth Land Recovery Project, one of the largest reservation-based non-profit organizations in the country. She is also the co-founder (along with the Indigo Girls) of Honor the Earth, a grassroots environmental organization focused on Indigenous issues and environmental justice. Globally and nationally, LaDuke is known as a leader in the issues of cultural-based sustainable development strategies, renewable energy, and sustainable food systems. She is one of the leaders in the work of protecting Indigenous plants and heritage foods from patenting and genetic engineering.