TOTE Maritime Alaska has a new President. The shipping company promoted Alex Hofeling from his previous position as vice president and general manager. Hofeling, a veteran of the US Coast Guard, holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Washington and a master’s in business administration from Seattle University. He joined TOTE Maritime Alaska in 2013 and became VP/GM in 2019. As TOTE Maritime Alaska president working out of the Tacoma office, Hofeling’s responsibilities encompass the entirety of commercial and operational activities for the Alaska market.

The new face of Bering Straits Native Corporation (BSNC) is Miriam Aarons, promoted from senior director of media and marketing to Vice President of Corporate Communications. In her new role, Aarons will continue to lead and grow BSNC’s communications and marketing initiatives. Aarons is Inupiaq and an enrolled tribal member of the Native Village of Unalakleet and a BSNC shareholder. She started working for the corporation in 2012. Aarons earned a bachelor’s degree in political science with a concentration in international relations from Columbia University.

Lynden Logistics, known until last September as Lynden International, promoted some top executives, including one at its Anchorage branch. Dennis Mitchell has been named Senior Vice President of Freight Operations, directing transportation services focused on the key markets of Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. Prior to this, Mitchell’s title was senior vice president, international. Mitchell has been with Lynden for twenty-seven years after owning his own customs brokerage firm in Anchorage from 1986 to 1994. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and supply chain management from the University of Alaska and is a licensed customs broker.

The senior project manager for Fairbanks Economic Development Corporation (FEDC) is being promoted to President and CEO. The board of directors chose Jomo Stewart as the successor for James “Jim” Dodson, who has served as CEO since 2005. Stewart is a twenty-five-year resident of Fairbanks and a graduate of UAF with a degree in political science. He has served as chief of staff for two state legislators and as an aide to legislative committees. More recently, as general manager of the Interior Gas Utility, Stewart negotiated the $352.5 million deal to finance the Interior Energy Project and unite Interior Gas Utility and Fairbanks Natural Gas under community control.

Phoebe Bredlie originally joined Kinney in 2016 and has managed the Fairbanks office. A graduate of UAF, Bredlie has more than twenty years of experience, including the planning, design, and construction of transportation and site projects in the Fairbanks area and across the state.

Will Webb joined Kinney in 2015 and has eighteen years of traffic and transportation engineering experience throughout Alaska. Webb was raised in Alaska and earned both his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and master of engineering degrees from the University of Idaho.

An employee of Coffman Engineers achieved her Professional Civil Engineering licenses in Alaska and California. Mary Dempsey graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in chemical engineering and holds a Project Management Professional certification. Before joining Coffman in 2020, Dempsey worked in civil land development in Washington, planning neighborhoods and stormwater systems. At Coffman, Dempsey leads industrial projects in the project management department.

Carl Hall recently joined R&M Consultants as a Senior Project Engineer in the firm’s Site Development Group. Hall is responsible for overseeing and performing analysis and design tasks related to site development projects. Hall has more than twenty-five years of experience, including the Whittier Tunnel Surface and Drainage Improvements project and water and sewer systems on Midway Atoll. Hall has a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Utah and is a professional civil engineer licensed in Alaska. In his free time, Hall enjoys camping and bear hunting.

Cornerstone General Contractors is adding a new Senior Project Manager. Todd Petrie brings two decades of experience as a field engineer, scheduler, estimator, superintendent, and project manager. He helped complete the Anton Anderson Tunnel to Whittier, Concourse C at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, and most recently a liquified natural gas plant in Louisiana. A native of Maryland, Petrie received his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from UAF. He says he is extremely happy to be back in Alaska and is looking forward to four-wheeling, fishing, and hunting with his wife and children.

Coastal Villages Region Fund (CVRF) appointed Rhonda Lamp as the new Human Resources Director. In this position, Lamp focuses on creating processes that streamline hiring and support professional growth. Originally from Mississippi, Lamp fell in love with living in Alaska when she attended the University of Alaska. She has more than three decades of experience in human resources. CVRF is funded by harnessing the Bering Sea fishing rights through Community Development Quotas from twenty Western Alaska villages, making it effectively the largest Alaskan-owned seafood company.

Matanuska Telephone Association’s tech subsidiary, Ampersand, is bringing a former Alaskan back as its new Vice President of Operations. EJ McCrea joins Ampersand from his previous position at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, where he led teams responsible for planning, launching, and maintaining technology initiatives supporting $600 million in projects across five hospital campuses and 300 medical clinics. While his previous work was out of state, it led McCrea to know he wanted to return to Alaska, to “return to family and the community,” after having previously lived here for nearly two decades. In his new position, McCrea is responsible for managing all facets of client service delivery and developing evolving client service and client engagement strategies.

Great Alaskan Holidays, Alaska’s largest RV rental, sales, and service business headquartered in Anchorage, promoted Brenda Sims to Parts Manager within the company’s Parts and Service Department. Sims has been with Great Alaskan Holidays for several years as a member of its vehicle maintenance technician team. Sims graduated from UAA with an associate degree in automotive technology. As the new parts manager, Sims is directly responsible for inventory control of the company’s entire stock of RV parts and accessories.

The National Park Service (NPS) in Alaska has a new Regional Director. The agency named Sarah Creachbaum, a 22-year NPS veteran, to oversee operations for fifteen national parks, preserves, monuments, and national historical parks. Creachbaum comes to the role from Olympic National Park in Washington, where she has served as the park’s superintendent since 2012. She begins her new role on January 16, moving to Alaska with her husband Bob and border collie Jimmy. “I first fell in love with Alaska on a trip to Denali as a young adult and became deeply interested in the state’s issues while serving as the NPS Alaska desk officer in Washington, D.C. in 2005,” Creachbaum says. Creachbaum received a bachelor of fine arts degree from the University of Arizona and a master of landscape architecture from Utah State University.

Steve Williams is the new Chief Executive Officer of the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority. The board of trustees promoted him from the position of Chief Operating Officer, a role he has held for eight years. Williams replaces Mike Abbott, who announced his retirement as CEO in 2021. Williams oversees both the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority and the Trust Land Office.