Founded in 2018

The Cultural Heritage Steward: Selena Ortega-Chiolero

Selena Ortega-Chiolero has worked with an array of museums, galleries and non-profit organizations throughout California and Alaska. Her broad industry experience includes museum administration, development, curation, collections, exhibitions and programs. She holds degrees in both Art History and Asian Studies from California State University, Sacramento, certifications in Museum Studies from the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Cultural Heritage Tourism from the International Institute of Tourism Studies at George Washington University. Selena recently completed her Masters of Fine Arts in Cultural Administration (Tribal Museums and Cultural Centers) from IAIA in May 2024, and was a 2021-2023 Fellow with the University of Virginia’s Rare Book School’s Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship for Diversity, Inclusion and Cultural Heritage and a member of the 2024 Archives Leadership Institute.

As a first generation Mexican American with Indigenous Mexican roots that extend from the Tarahumara community in the Barranca de Cobre region of Chihuahua, Mexico, Selena carries her cultural traditions and family history close to heart. It serves as the inspiration and drive behind all of her work.

Selena is currently the Museum Specialist for Chickaloon Village Traditional Council (CVTC) where she is responsible for the CVTC Tribal Collections and Archives that house the history and cultural expressions of the Ahtna Dene of Nay’dini’aa Na’ Kayax’ (Chickaloon Native Village). Selena supports the Tribe’s work in cultural site preservation, cultural tourism, and repatriation.

As an active member of Museums Alaska, and the Native American Archives Section and Council Member for the Society of American Archivists, she continues to dedicate her time towards helping to reframe the understanding and practices of cultural heritage ownership, management, and access so that it acknowledges Indigenous identity, lifeways and knowledge systems.