The University of Alaska Board of Regents selected Matt Cooper as the eighteenth President of the UA System. Cooper previously worked for the university as general counsel from 2020 to 2024, when he left to join the law firm of Davis Wright Tremaine. Cooper succeeds Pat Pitney, who announced last year that she would be retiring in May. A resident of Fairbanks, Cooper earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Puget Sound and got his JD at the University of Washington School of Law. Prior to joining the UA System legal department in 2011, he worked in private practice at Guess & Rudd P.C., and was elected to the Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly, serving two years as presiding officer.

UAA appointed Evan Steinberg as Strategic Engagement and Government Relations Officer. Steinberg previously served as director of governmental and external affairs at the Florida Department of Education’s Division of Career and Adult Education. Steinberg earned a bachelor’s degree in social sciences from Florida State University and holds certificates in emergency management, homeland security, and US intelligence studies.

With Jon Bittner returning to the Anchorage Economic Development Corporation as its president and CEO, his role as State Director of the Alaska Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is taken up by Jared Reynolds. Most recently, Reynolds served as executive director of the University of Alaska Center for Economic Development (CED). Although SBDC and CED are both programs within the UAA Business Enterprise Institute, SBDC offers one-on-one consulting whereas CED focuses on broader economic development. Reynolds holds a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from the University of New Hampshire and a master’s degree in public policy analysis from the University of Chicago. Prior to joining CED in 2024, he led Do North, a coworking space in Vermont where he built the Forest Products Accelerator.

Promotions at RSA Engineering give new leadership to the Anchorage firm that serves clients throughout Alaska, the Lower 48, and Antarctica.

Channing Lillo, previously director of the Electrical Department, was chosen as President. A multi-state licensed professional engineer and lighting certified professional, Lillo brings thirty years of experience, all at RSA.

Jeremy Maxie is promoted from principal electrical engineer to Vice President, Electrical Department. Maxie has been with RSA for sixteen years, starting as an intern. He specializes in low-voltage and special systems design.

Anchorage-based wealth management firm Alaska Wealth Advisors assigned new titles to key executives.

Dave Valdez, a firm partner and formerly COO, is now Chief Strategy Officer. Valdez holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Seattle University’s Albers School of Business and Economics and earned his MBA with a concentration in finance at UAA.

The firm promoted chief marketing officer Amber Frizzell to step in as COO. Frizzell has a bachelor’s degree in business management and international business from Whitworth University and is an accredited investment fiduciary.

Alex Cleghorn joins the Anchorage law firm of Landye Bennett Blumstein as a Partner. Cleghorn returns to private practice after serving Alaska Native communities across nonprofit, governmental, and corporate contexts for more than twenty years. Cleghorn is a tribal citizen of Tangirnaq Native Village and a shareholder of Natives of Kodiak, Koniag, and Cook Inlet Region, Inc.

Haylee Brister joined the Anchorage-based law firm of Manley Brautigam Bankston as an Associate Attorney in the estate planning, tax law, and asset protection groups. Admitted to practice in Alaska and New Jersey, she previously clerked for Burlington County Superior Court Judge Reema Y. Hindawi Scaramella in New Jersey. Brister holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and sociology and earned her JD from Rutgers School of Law.

The Nature Conservancy selected Caitlin Hedberg as Executive Director of its Alaska business unit. For the last nine years, Hedberg served as the environmental nonprofit’s director of philanthropy in Alaska. “Caitlin has been a steady force on Alaska’s leadership team through significant change, building our capacity, and driving critical initiatives,” says Alaska Board Chair Nikoosh Carlo.

Rasmuson Foundation selected LeeAnn Cooper Garrick as COO, an executive position the state’s largest philanthropic organization has not had before. “The COO role is key to creating a unified, collaborative work environment and strengthening our ability to serve Alaskans,” says President and CEO Gretchen Guess. Garrick was previously COO at Cook Inlet Tribal Council. A member of the Kenaitze Indian Tribe, Garrick grew up in Petersburg and Eagle River. She holds a master’s degree in public administration and a master’s degree in English, both from UAA.

United Way of Anchorage (UWA) added new members to its team.

Rea Bavilla comes aboard as Vice President of Development to oversee fundraising. Bavilla brings more than twenty-three years of management and supervision in Alaska’s business and nonprofit worlds. Bavilla holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Alaska Pacific University.

Alice Hisamoto is UWA’s new Director of Community Impact, focused on facilitating collaboration among UWA and its community partners. Hisamoto holds a bachelor’s degree in cultural anthropology and a master’s degree in cross-cultural education from UAF.