I’m Dr. Alexa Sutton (African American/Yesàh – Ohio Saponi), a wildlife biologist and cultural geographer.

My work is rooted in the traditions of my Saponi, Occaneechi, Monacan, and Tutelo ancestors—collectively known as the Yesàh—whose histories, relationships, and knowledge systems have shaped the lands from the Piedmont of Virginia and North Carolina to the Ohio River Valley. I’m an enrolled member of the Saponi Nation of Ohio, and much of my work is devoted to preserving and sharing our stories, cultural memory, and connection to land.

I currently serve on the board of NDPonics, a Native-led collective focused on food sovereignty and land rematriation, and I’m the Executive Director of the Landberry Foundation. Through Landberry, I also founded Indigenous East—a heartwork project that uplifts Indigenous community-building and cultural resurgence across the Eastern Woodlands (learn more at indigenouseast.org and landberry.org).

I’m also pursuing an M.A. in American Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where my research focuses on the migration and settlement histories of Yesàh families (like my own) who relocated from Virginia and North Carolina to the Ohio River Valley between 1805 and 1860. My work explores how cultural and environmental knowledge is carried and sustained across generations.

Earlier in my career, I earned a Ph.D. in Environment from Duke University, an M.S. in Wildlife & Fisheries Science from Texas A&M, and a B.S. in Biology from Howard University. I’ve held leadership roles across government and nonprofit sectors, including Chief of Staff at USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, Vice President at Ocean Conservancy, and Southeast Regional Director at The Wilderness Society.

Some of my reflections on Aframerindian and Afro-Indigenous identity and community can be found in To Our Future Afro-Indigenous Kin (2021) and Ribbons of Color Along the Eno River (Eno Journal, Vol. 10, No. 1). You can also explore my academic work on Google Scholar.

I always welcome thoughtful connection and conversation—thank you for visiting.