Theresa Dardar is a resident of a small American Indian fishing community of Pointe-aux-Chenes in Lafourche  Parish, Louisiana, one of the most fragile coastal areas in the world.  She is a strong local leader advocating for the restoration and protection of not just the ecosystem of the Gulf of Mexico and its coastal areas but also for the people and communities who call coastal Louisiana home.
      
As a tribal member of the Pointe-au-Chien Indian Tribe, she is a powerful voice for her community, serving as a representative and spokesperson for her tribe at local, state, national and international forums, such as the United Nations' Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples Conference.  She has participated in the Intertribal Agricultural Council and has represented the Gulf Coast in various capacities.