Suzanne Estes (Chickasaw, Choctaw and mixed European) grew up in Chickasaw Nation territory of southeastern Oklahoma where she earned an undergraduate degree in Biology. As a first-generation college student, she benefited from the support of the Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program, which helped convince her to apply for graduate school. She completed a PhD in Biology at the University of Oregon. Following a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellowship at Oregon State University, she joined the faculty of Portland State University's Biology Department in 2005. Dr. Estes' research has addressed the role of mutation in evolution and mitochondrial-nuclear coevolution. She has taught courses in genetics, evolution and grant proposal development, and spent five years as the grant PI and Program Coordinator for LSAMP, which provides advocacy, mentoring and support for STEM and Indigenous Traditional Ecological & Cultural Knowledge (ITECK) students. That work informed her previous position as an associate dean where she helped to build the LSAMP Climate Internship Program and led community-engaged design efforts for PSU's Vernier Science Center and ITECK Center capital projects alongside LSAMP alumni. Alongside serving as department chair and co-instructor for Indigenous Nations Studies, Dr. Estes serves as the LSAMP Faculty Adviser.