Michael O’Brien has joined Perkins Coie in Anchorage as a Senior Counsel in the labor and employment practice. O’Brien’s practice focuses on counseling clients on the range of employment issues affecting the workplace and on conducting workplace investigations. He also possesses in-depth knowledge of Title IX and other education laws. O’Brien received his juris doctorate and master’s from Vermont Law School and his bachelor’s from the University of Montana. He also holds a master’s from St. John’s College.

Deborah Lamb, Chief Compliance Officer at McKinley Capital Management, was named the recipient of the Joan Hinchman Award from the National Society of Compliance Professionals. The award is given to an individual who displays a strong commitment to excellence and distinguishes themselves as a key figure in the compliance community.

Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Corri A. Feige confirmed her appointment of Tom Stokes as Director of the Division of Oil & Gas. As director, Stokes will continue to supervise exploration licensing, lease sales, unit management, permitting, royalty accounting, royalty audit, resource evaluation, commercial activities, and the State Pipeline Coordinator’s Section. Before stepping into the director role, Stokes served the department as the state pipeline coordinator.

First Alaskans Institute (FAI) hired Melissa Silugngataanit’sqaq Borton as its Indigenous Advancement Director. In this role, she will contribute to the long-term sustainability of FAI by utilizing values-based innovations to grow the financial foundation that supports our work. With her experience in the realms of development and leadership, she brings the vision, professional skills, and direct experience to the organization’s sustainability efforts. She is an alumna of the FAI First Nations’ Futures Fellowship.

Cornerstone General Contractors welcomes David LaMont as a Cost Estimator/Project Manager. In this position, LaMont will be responsible for pursuing opportunities and managing projects. He brings more than thirty-seven years of experience in Alaska federal, municipal, and oil field construction. Before joining Cornerstone, LaMont served as a pipefitter, welder, and heavy equipment operator before transitioning to cost estimation at several Alaska construction companies.

Jason Vukovich is an Instrumentation and Controls Designer with more than ten years of engineering experience in Alaska. His project experience includes rail/truck racks, Coker safety upgrade and remote un-heading, ethanol unloading and storage, refining unit SIS upgrade and Triconex installations, tank high level alarms, onsite small projects, and pipeline heating re-circulation. Prior to starting in the engineering and construction industry, Vukovich was a decorated officer of more than ten years in the US Army and US Army Reserve. He holds a bachelor’s from the University of Illinois.

Ronald Pearson, PE, is a Professional Chemical Engineer working in the Anchorage electrical engineering department. Pearson holds a bachelor’s in chemical engineering, minoring in electrical engineering and mathematics from the Colorado School of Mines. Pearson has more than thirteen years of engineering experience in the oil and gas industry. He has extensive experience with both design of new and renovation of electrical systems for onshore and offshore oil and gas developments.

Cook Inlet Tribal Council (CITC) appointed as its new Chief Operating Officer LeeAnn Cooper Garrick of Anchorage. Garrick brings more than fifteen years of leadership experience managing operational units and large-scale programs to her new role. Prior to joining CITC, Garrick served the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium as vice president of administrative services at the Alaska Native Medical Center. Garrick completed her undergraduate degree and two master’s degrees with the University of Alaska Anchorage.

Brigham A. McCown was selected as the next President of Alyeska Pipeline Service Company in January 2020. McCown brings more than three decades of executive management, legal, and operational experience in the infrastructure and transportation industries. McCown has held several posts at the US Department of Transportation, serving as a direct report to both democratic and republican Secretaries of Transportation. In 2013, he retired from the US Navy after twenty-five years of combined active and reserve service.

Bethel Native Corporation (BNC) promoted Robbie Lynn to General Manager of BNC’s Construction Division. Lynn will oversee all of BNC’s construction activities and will be the primary interface with the US Small Business Administration for 8(a) program administration and associated endeavors.

Kristoff Nystrom, EIT, comes to PND after two and a half years with the UAF Division of Design and Construction, performing project management and design. Nystrom is a 2016 graduate of UAF with a focus on civil and structural engineering. After graduating, he volunteered with Engineering Ministries International, where he worked on the design of a hospital in—and traveled to—the Dominican Republic with a team of architects and engineers.

Conrad Smith, EIT, graduated with a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from Brigham Young University and worked most recently for Albert A. Webb Associates in Riverside, California, on site drainage, master plans, and storm water modeling projects. His long-term interest is in structures, and he is currently working in the Palmer office assisting with structural design.

Kristi Williams joined Calista Corporation as the Government Relations Manager. Williams is well informed on Alaska Native and American Indian issues and has expertise in land planning, government-to-government consultation, small business and economic development issues, strategic planning, negotiations, and legislative and appropriations advocacy.

Tina Woods, PhD, has been appointed as Chief Administrative Officer of TDX Corporation. In her new role, Woods will be responsible for overall leadership of the TDX Support Services Center, providing internal and inter-department support for the executive team, accounting, human resources, and information technology departments.

Allison Bendis of Klondike Promotions has earned the certification of Master Advertising Specialist (MAS) administered by Promotional Products Association International, the largest international not-for-profit association for more than 15,000 members. The MAS certification is truly the “mark of a professional,” signifying that an individual has reached and continues to meet a higher standard of professionalism, knowledge, and experience within the industry.