News Release

Kalen Anderson Awarded Corps Member of the Year

Portrait courtesy Kalen Anderson

News Release Date: March 9, 2022

JAMESTOWN, VA (March 9, 2022) Kalen Anderson, this year's Lead Ancestral Lands Corps Individual Placement, has been selected Corps Member of the Year by The Corps Network. Kalen is one of four recipients of the award selected from among the more than 25,000 young people serving in Corps programs across the country.

Every year, The Corps Network honors a select group of exceptional Corpsmembers from its more than 140 member organizations. These young adults have exceeded the expectations of their Corps by exhibiting outstanding leadership skills and demonstrating an earnest commitment to service and civic engagement. The Corpsmembers of the Year are role models; their personal stories and accomplishments are an inspiration to Corpsmembers nationwide.

In 2021, Kalen Anderson served as an AmeriCorps member with the Werowocomoco Ancestral Lands program here at the Chesapeake Trail. Kalen has always been eager to learn, helpful, punctual and a hard worker. The new program teaches Native youth resource management skills while engaging them in sharing their cultural knowledge and assisting with preservation and interpretation activities surrounding Werowocomoco: a recently rediscovered site with deep historic significance for Tribes in what is today Virginia.

Kalen took every opportunity offered, completing trainings in water quality assessment, invasive species identification, the Archaeology Repatriation Act and many other fields. An exemplary intern and employee, he is always ready to work, his assignments are complete and on time, he is always the first to volunteer to assist a colleague with a task and can be relied upon to “show up.” He leads by example for his peers.

“Before my first placement with AmeriCorps, I was a full-time student working on my Associate's degree in Mechanical Engineering while also working part-time. AmeriCorps allowed me a smooth transition into a workplace setting to gain essential skills and knowledge for personal growth as well as career development,” said Kalen. “I also was able to work closely with local Tribes which proved to be of great personal growth and experience.”

After completing a field archaeology internship at Historic Jamestowne this winter, Kalen has returned to the Werowocomoco Ancestral Lands program as a lead intern. He will take on additional responsibilities in 2022, supporting and leading the other interns throughout the year.

A member of the Nansemond Indian Nation, Kalen used his training to contribute to his Tribe’s oyster bed recovery work on the Nansemond River. Outside of the Corps, he has served as flag bearer for his Tribe at the Sovereign Nations of Virginia Conference. Kalen has a strong passion for sharing his Tribal knowledge with others; after his placement term was over, he returned to the Corps to volunteer with his peers at Indigenous Peoples Day to educate the visiting public at Machicomoco State Park.

Kalen is already extremely involved with his Tribe. During his internship he absorbed a great deal of knowledge through the various projects and trainings, always thinking about how information could be applied within his Tribal community.

“After my first term being a Corpsmember I gained new interest in my own cultural traditions; I even changed my degree path from Mechanical Engineering to Environmental Science and Conservation,” said Kalen. “I have learned an overwhelming amount of skills, such as interpretation, public speaking, event programming, outreach, property surveying, land maintenance and environmental reporting.”

Because of Kalen’s stellar performance, a partner offered him an unadvertised internship position to help him deepen his knowledge of archaeology. As a supervisor said of Kalen, “You can tell how deeply he cares about his heritage and the land in which he wants to take care of.” Kalen plans to continue a relationship or career with AmeriCorps and the National Park Service. He wants to apply his AmeriCorps education award towards a bachelor’s degree.

“An issue that I see my generation addressing can be environmental stewardship. My generation is next in line to become front runners in the protection and conservation of our ever-changing environment,” said Kalen. “Although we are in a time of great industrialization and technology, we must also keep in mind the natural resources that we depend on as a people.”

Mary Ellen Sprenkel, President and CEO of The Corps Network, says, “Today’s Corps members represent the skill and potential of a new generation of conservation and community leaders. As our country looks to establish a Civilian Climate Corps initiative, we must turn to bright, hardworking people like Kalen Anderson for guidance."

The four 2022 Corpsmembers of the Year will be honored at The Corps Network’s annual national conference, taking place virtually April 4–6, 2022. The theme for the event is, “We Are the Civilian Climate Corps: A CCC for a New Generation.” Learn more about the conference. 

Congratulations, Kalen!

ABOUT THE WEROWOCOMOCO ANCESTRAL LANDS CORPS INDIVIDUAL PLACEMENT PROGRAM

The Werowocomoco Ancestral Lands Corps Individual Placement program is a joint effort of the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail, Colonial National Historical Park and Conservation Legacy. Werowocomoco is an internationally significant Native place managed by the National Park Service. Park staff are currently working in consultation with seven Tribal partners to open the site to the public.

The Individual Placement program introduces participants to major aspects of national park operations. Placements train with staff from four divisions at Colonial National Historical Park – Interpretation & Education, Law Enforcement, Facility Management and Resource Management – and then work with staff to apply new skills at and for Werowocomoco.

In 2021, the program was awarded the National Park Service’s Appleman-Judd-Lewis Award, which recognizes excellence in the field of cultural resource stewardship and management.

ABOUT CONSERVATION LEGACY

For over 20 years, Conservation Legacy has been engaging individuals to complete important conservation projects throughout the nation, envisioning a legacy of healthy lands, air and water; thriving people and resilient communities.

Two Conservation Legacy programs – Appalachian Conservation Corps and Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps – worked together with the National Park Service to create the Werowocomoco Individual Placement program.