Limitless: Upgrade Your Brain, Learn Anything Faster, and Unlock Your Exceptional Life by James Kwik.
What charity or cause are you passionate about?
Girl Scouts of Alaska… Supporting youth is really dear to my heart, so I spend a lot of time and effort and resources supporting youth organizations.
What’s the first thing you do when you get home after a long day at work?
Usually my children [age 8 and 4] are home, so the first thing I do is get hugs.
What vacation spot is on your bucket list?
Maldives.
If you could domesticate a wild animal, what animal would it be?
A fish species… Something small that can be contained in a small environment.
Limitless: Upgrade Your Brain, Learn Anything Faster, and Unlock Your Exceptional Life by James Kwik.
What charity or cause are you passionate about?
Girl Scouts of Alaska… Supporting youth is really dear to my heart, so I spend a lot of time and effort and resources supporting youth organizations.
What’s the first thing you do when you get home after a long day at work?
Usually my children [age 8 and 4] are home, so the first thing I do is get hugs.
What vacation spot is on your bucket list?
Maldives.
If you could domesticate a wild animal, what animal would it be?
A fish species… Something small that can be contained in a small environment.
Off the Cuff
etropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in the Russian Far East is a lot like Alaska. “It’s a very similar lifestyle in terms of water, mountains, fishing, and outdoor activities,” says Maria Bourne of her hometown.
Bourne crossed the International Date Line to attend college in Alaska, where her sister had lived for a time. Her studies in accounting led to her becoming the chief financial officer at Denali Universal Services, an independent company owned by French conglomerate Sodexo (formerly a joint venture with Doyon, Limited and still located in the Alaska Native regional corporation’s South Anchorage building).
“We’re multiple businesses under one roof,” says Bourne of her company’s security branch (including emergency medical services and firefighting) and facilities branch (housekeeping, camp catering, and sundry support tasks). She loves to see her team doing their jobs at nearly sixty sites statewide: “When I go to the field, it’s one of the best days at work.”
After overseeing operations during the statewide economic recession, Bourne was promoted to president and CEO three years ago. “I enjoy leadership. I enjoy people,” she says, although she admits to keeping a closer eye on the finance department, given her background.
Maria Bourne: My free time goes toward the family. Young family, lots of demands for time. That’s really the best part of my day… I love the outdoors: hiking in summertime, skiing in winter.
AB: Is there a skill you’re currently developing or have always wanted to learn?
Bourne: Playing piano… My sister played piano beautifully, but I never learned.
AB: What’s the most daring thing you’ve ever done?
Bourne: South America comes to mind. We did a backpacking trip through Bolivia… This was twenty years ago, so not a lot of infrastructure.
AB: What are you superstitious about?
Bourne: I grew up in a culture where superstition is part of the culture, a superstition for everything… One of the biggest superstitions is about dreams and which dream has truth to it.
AB: What’s your favorite local restaurant?
Bourne: Depends on the mood. I love sushi, so my favorite sushi spot is I Luv Sushi on Lake Otis and Abbott.
AB: Dead or alive, who would you like to see perform live in concert?
Bourne: We go out of the way to go to concerts every single year… Next on my list would be U2.
AB: What’s your greatest extravagance?
Bourne: Vacations. We’ve spent a lot of money on vacations… We go on as many as we can fit in the schedule.
AB: What’s your best attribute and worst attribute?
Bourne: Probably resilience and endurance. I tend to remain calm in a time of chaos and think through things critically and calmly… The worst attribute is probably perfectionism. I’ve been working on that for quite some time.
