Ben Hughey has a background in conservation and environmental policy, with a Master of Public Administration from the University of Washington Evans School of Public Policy. Before and during graduate school, Ben led state and federal legislative affairs for the Seattle-based nonprofit, the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust. In 2018, Ben was selected by NOAA Sea Grant as a Knauss Marine Policy Fellow and served as environmental policy staff for Senator Cory Booker, co-drafting an ambitious natural climate solutions bill and helping facilitate the Senate Environmental Justice Caucus. In 2020, Ben moved home to Sitka, Alaska and joined the Indigenous led movement to protect herring from over-fishing.