People of Highstead: Tewosret Vaughn

Highstead would not be what it is today without the steadfast leadership and diverse experiences of its team members. Meet the people of Highstead: experts, conservation leaders, scientists, and staff that embody Highstead’s mission to build a healthier, more livable world for all in our staff interview series.

Tewosret: My role is Communications Specialist at Highstead. I collaborate with staff and partners to create and implement communications supporting the Highstead mission and advancing the Wildlands, Woodlands, Farmlands, and Communities vision.

Tewosret: My north star for my work is that it contributes to a language and culture that supports a healthy relationship with our environment and ourselves. I saw my values in Highstead’s mission and work, and I knew I would learn more than I could imagine by joining the team.

Tewosret: My favorite parts of my job are that every day I learn something new, or a new strand of discovery unravels for me to explore. Those instances often lead me to opportunities to learn more and collaborate with my talented colleagues.

Tewosret: A mix of influences seeds my motivation. I’ve lived half of my life with a deep feeling that the modern consumptive way of living is incompatible with healthy, thriving life on Earth. Even so, I draw motivation from nature’s persistence and adaptability, and the ongoing stories of resilience from my communities, family, and ancestors.

Tewosret: I am proud of pursuing a nontraditional background in creative arts, sustainable farming, and being a first-generation college graduate. I attribute those opportunities to my family and mentors, who saw value in my work and personal visions. Their support is a big part of why I have enjoyed working on meaningful projects with inspiring, kind, knowledgeable, and generous people over the years.

Tewosret: Rachel Carson’s story left a significant impression on me when I was a high school AP Environmental Science student. Her advocacy against chemical pesticide use catalyzed my appreciation for all the planet does to support life and inspired me to pursue an environmentally aligned path.

Today, my dad is one of my first and biggest conservation heroes. He worked as a salmon fisheries coordinator and technician in Washington State. Throughout my youth, he would often tell me stories about his experiences collaborating with his communities to achieve healthier and safer passage for salmon.

And the Yup’ik, Dena’ina, Alutiiq, and local people organizing against the proposed Pebble Mine in the Bristol Bay region in Alaska. They are protecting their way of life intertwined with the land and water. Pebble Mine threatens the habitat of the world’s largest wild sockeye salmon population and food sources for around 190 species of migratory birds.

Tewosret: I return to A Field Guide to Getting Lost by Rebecca Solnit throughout different seasons of my life. While autobiographical, the book’s essays explore memory, loss, and place. Also by Rebecca Solnit is Wanderlust and explores a history of walking as a social, pleasure, and political act. I’m also a big fan of Orion Magazine and its anthologies and contributors. Currently, I’m reading and learning from Leah Thomas’ Intersectional Environmentalist: How to Dismantle Systems of Oppression to Protect People + Planet.

Tewosret: I would suggest the next generation of conservationists check out the helpful advice from my colleague’s interviews, but I will share my two cents. My brief time in the environmental and conservation movements has taught me it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the urgency to address climate change. I’ve found that taking opportunities to rest, reevaluate, and celebrate successes is a necessary part of conservation work. We are involved in a movement with serious consequences; for many, it is a labor born out of love. Hold on to that love, or whatever it is that moves you, and remember to ground your work there.