Sydney Anderson
Tribal Legal Fellow
Sydney is a Tlingit Tribal citizen and descendant of the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa. Sydney is experienced in federal and state policy and is excited to advance tribal sovereignty in climate and conservation planning. Sydney earned a Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of California Los Angeles in 2024, where she worked with the Tataviam Land Conservancy to develop recommendations to guide Indigenous-led site acquisition and planning strategy for the Tribal non-profit, grounded in Indigenous community engagement frameworks and the broader policy landscape. Prior to attending UCLA, Sydney served as a Govern for America Fellow on the Early Childhood Strategy team at the Louisiana Department of Education, and later held contracted consulting positions, working across states to develop policy and fiscal strategies to improve early childhood and K-12 education access and quality. While living in Louisiana, Sydney supported the Pointe au Chien Indian Tribe in founding École Pointe-au-Chien and sits on the affiliated non-profit board. Sydney holds a Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning from UCLA and a Bachelor’s in Urban Studies from Brown University.
Get to Know Me Further
I grew up in Seattle, surrounded by my mom’s family, and spent summers visiting my dad’s family in northern Minnesota. My grandparents ran a lakeside resort on our ancestral homelands, near the Boundary Water Canoe Area, and the cabins are now all occupied in the warmer (and sometimes colder) months by cousins, aunts, uncles, and other relatives. I now live in Los Angeles, where I love the sunny weather and enjoy hiking, swimming, playing tennis, and doing secret staircase walks, and taking advantage of the many art and music events. I look forward to carrying on the work that so many of my relatives and ancestors have passed on to me, of stewarding our lands and advancing tribal sovereignty.