Anne Garrett has accepted an offer to lead Special Development Campaigns for Alaska Public Media. Garrett was previously the philanthropy advisor at The Alaska Community Foundation and comes to AKPM with more than twenty years of experience in the nonprofit sector. Garrett is one of just thirty-nine people in the state to earn her Certified Fundraising Executive certification.

Alaska Communications named Debra Morse as Vice President of Human Resources. Morse previously served as legal counsel for Alaska Communications, most recently as vice president of legal.

Morse provided her leadership as an inaugural member of Alaska Communications’ Women in Leadership Empowerment and Diversity program. She currently serves on the Citizens Advisory Council for Providence Alaska Medical Center.

Alpine Air Alaska promoted Sasha Swift to General Manager. Along with other members of the executive team, Swift is responsible for managing a fleet of fourteen helicopters and four locations in Southcentral. Swift began her aviation career in 2005 with the US Air Force as an air traffic controller for fourteen airports. After years in diverse roles with finance companies and technology start-ups, Swift joined Alpine Air Alaska in 2015 as director of marketing.

Jennifer Thomasson has been selected as the newest Partner at Gonzalez Marketing. Thomasson started as a part-time marketing assistant in 2002 while attending college and was the company’s first employee. Over the years, Thomasson worked her way up to her most recent role as vice president of client services. In this role, Thomasson leads all projects and manages all client services. In her role as partner, she will take on additional duties including new service development, staff training, corporate direction, and day-to-day management.

Donlin Gold promoted Dan Graham to General Manager. As general manager, Graham is responsible for progressing the project, working closely with the Calista Corporation, The Kuskokwim Corporation, Barrick Gold Corporation, and NOVAGOLD. Graham earned a degree in mining engineering from UAF in the ‘80s. He began his career as an equipment operator and worked his way up through the ranks over the past thirty-six years. Graham has been a registered Alaska Professional Mining Engineer since 1994 and has led Donlin Gold’s permitting and environmental activities for the past three years, bringing the National Environmental Policy Act process successfully to a close and receiving numerous major permits from state and federal agencies.

Eli Ward has joined R&M as Staff Engineer in the firm’s construction services department. In this role, Ward is responsible for supporting ongoing construction administration projects throughout Alaska. Ward also oversees day-to-day construction operations, including serving as the owner’s onsite representative, corresponding with construction contractors, issuing change orders and directives, processing pay estimates, performing field engineering, and managing R&M field staff. Ward has four years of experience in geotechnical engineering, materials inspection, and construction services. He began his career working for the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities supporting horizontal construction projects and geotechnical investigations for highway and airport projects. He also spent eighteen months with the Alaska Department of Natural Resources in the Alaska Dam Safety Program and moved into the private sector last year, where he completed geotechnical investigations and analysis in support of a variety of projects. Ward has a bachelor’s in geological sciences from UAF.

Great Alaskan Holidays appointed two new key RV technicians. James Pacaldo and Tim Proctor join the Great Alaskan Holidays team as Apprentice Technicians.

Pacaldo and Proctor have entered Great Alaskan Holidays’ in-house training program. The Great Alaskan Holidays in-house program is specifically designed to promote from within and retain talented individuals as long-term, valued employees. Pacaldo was a student prior to joining Great Alaskan Holidays. Proctor worked for Inlet Energy as a truck driver. Both men are lifelong Alaskans.

The US Small Business Administration (SBA) Alaska District Office made several changes to its local leadership. John D. Veal Jr. is the new acting District Director and Jeff Salzer is the new Deputy District Director for the SBA Alaska District. A permanent district director will be announced later this summer.

Prior to coming to Anchorage to serve in the role of acting District Director, Veal served as the deputy district director for the SBA Oklahoma District. Veal is also a graduate of the 2018 Excellence in Government Fellows program. Veal holds both a master of business administration and a master of science in accounting from Oklahoma City University, is a Certified Professional Public Buyer from the Universal Public Procurement Certification Council, and holds Level I Contracting Certification from the Federal Acquisition Institute.

Salzer comes to the SBA Alaska District from the SBA Arkansas District where he served as senior area manager for several years. Prior to that, he was a business opportunity specialist and then economic development specialist in the SBA Oklahoma District. Before coming to the SBA, Salzer owned and operated an international consulting firm for small- to medium-size enterprises. He holds a bachelor’s in political science with a minor in international business from St. Bonaventure University. He also has a master of business administration from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

John Daley assumed the Group Manager role of Waterfront Engineering following Kim Nielsen’s retirement. Daley joined R&M in 2013 as a senior project engineer and has more than twenty-seven years of experience in waterfront and coastal engineering design, construction, and inspection. Daley holds both a bachelor’s and master’s in civil engineering from UAA, as well as an associate’s in diving technology from Highline Community College. He is a professional civil and structural engineer registered in Alaska; a NACE Corrosion Technologist; and certified in Safety Inspection of In-Service Bridges and Confined Space Entry.

Tim Grier has taken on the role of Vice President of Engineering. Grier has been with R&M for thirteen years, formerly serving as group manager of surface transportation. He has thirty years of civil engineering experience and is well versed in the planning, design, and construction of road, water, sewer, and solid waste facilities, as well as general civil site design. In his new role, Grier is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of R&M’s engineering department. He holds a bachelor’s in civil engineering and is a professional civil engineer registered in Alaska.

R&M promoted Lance Debernardi to Group Manager of Surface Transportation. Debernardi has been a senior project engineer in R&M’s Surface Transportation Group for the past twelve years. He has twenty-nine years of experience as a project manager and senior highway design engineer, which includes roadway geometrics, drainage, roadside safety, construction traffic control, and intersection signalization. Debernardi has managed major roadway projects, including the Fairview loop road rehabilitation, Eklutna river bridge replacement, Sterling Highway MP 45-60, and Dalton Highway MP 11-18 reconstruction. He holds a bachelor’s in civil engineering from the University of Utah and is a professional civil engineer registered in Alaska.