Joe Schierhorn, a charter employee of Northrim Bank since it started in 1990, passed a couple of leadership titles to a successor. The board of parent company Northrim BanCorp selected Mike Huston as the new President and CEO. Huston also takes on Schierhorn’s duties as Chief Operating Officer, while Schierhorn remains Chairman of the Board. Before coming to Alaska, Huston was executive vice president and chief banking officer at First Interstate Bank in Billings, Montana. He joined Northrim Bank in May 2017 as Executive Vice President and Chief Lending Officer of Northrim Bank. He was appointed President and Chief Lending Officer in March 2022. Huston earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from Arizona State University and is a graduate of the Pacific Coast Banking School.

An executive at the state’s largest charitable funder hopped over to lead another philanthropic asset manager. Alexandra “Alex” McKay is the Alaska Community Foundation’s choice for President and CEO. McKay most recently served as vice president of strategies and impact at the Rasmuson Foundation. A graduate of East High School in Anchorage, McKay holds a bachelor’s degree in social psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, is a graduate of Stanford Law School, and earned a Master of Law from the University of Washington. “The board launched a nationwide search last fall to ensure we had a pool of qualified candidates for this important role,” says board chair Gabe Kompkoff. “Among the many well-qualified individuals we interviewed, Alex’s skills and experience stood out.”

Another former Rasmuson Foundation exec slides over to Catholic Social Services. Kris Palmatier is the Anchorage charity’s new Chief Financial Officer. Born in Palmer and a graduate of West Anchorage High School, Palmatier earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and finance from Alaska Pacific University, followed by completing his MBA at Western Governors University. His career has spanned positions with the State of Alaska, Cornerstone General Contractors, Kimura and Associates, and the Rasmuson Foundation, where he was director of finance from 2016 to 2022.

Don Ashley, executive director of Alaska campuses for Wayland Baptist University (WBU), becomes the first Executive Director of Global Initiatives for the multi-state network of Christian colleges. He has held the position part time for years, and now the office becomes a standalone entity. Ashley has led WBU’s Anchorage and Fairbanks campuses since 2023. He was previously an academic advisor at the Anchorage campus from 1995 to 1997. After earning a doctorate, he returned in 2001 as a professor of Christian ministry and education.

The new Chief Operating Officer for Alaska Communications has experience at several tech companies where the telecom’s new CEO used to work. Jeff Vogt has held leadership positions at Comcast Corporation, Level 3 Communications, and point-of-sale technology maker Cantaloupe, Inc.—same as the CEO hired last year, Matt McConnell. Vogt most recently served as executive vice president and general manager at Actif.AI, an artificial intelligence software company serving the telecommunications industry. Vogt earned a bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech and a master’s degree from The George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs in Washington, DC.

NMS, a subsidiary of NANA Regional Corporation holding company NANA North, appointed a new Strategic Account Manager, Bradley Berberich. In this new role, Berberich focuses on enhancing customer loyalty and satisfaction while driving new business development in Alaska’s resource sector. Berberich brings a wealth of experience in construction management, marketing strategy, and business growth. He has worked at New Horizons Telecom, United Way of Anchorage, Arctic Slope Regional Corporation, and AT&T.

PND Engineers recently promoted four staff at its Anchorage office to the position of Senior Engineer upon their successful completion of the Principles and Practice of Engineering exam.

Cameron Klatt was hired at PND in October 2020. A graduate of South Anchorage High School, Klatt received his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Montana State University and his master’s degree in geotechnical engineering from the University of Washington. He has been involved in projects ranging from waterfront facilities in Southeast Alaska and the Lower 48 to oil- and gas-related projects on the North Slope.

Another geotechnical engineer to earn a PE is Kannon Lee. Hired in April 2019, Lee focuses on stability, seismic engineering, and frozen ground engineering. Lee has a bachelor’s degree in history from Dartmouth College, a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from UAF, and a master’s degree in geotechnical engineering from UAA.

Taylor Mortensen was hired at PND in May 2019 and has provided marine structural engineering and bridge design/inspection services throughout Alaska. A graduate of West Anchorage High School and a Montana State University alumnus, Mortensen is a former flight engineer with the US Navy and a certified Federal Highway Administration Team Leader and IRATA International Level 1 Rope Access Technician.

With PND since November 2023, Jared Kinney has more than five years of professional civil engineering experience in Alaska. His primary practice at PND is hydraulic and hydrologic engineering projects, especially site improvements, drainage, and sewer/wastewater utilities. Kinney graduated from Chugiak High School and went to UAA.

Optima Public Relations is carrying on after the recent passing of its co-founder, former state legislator Tom Anderson, by promoting some senior leaders.

Becca Koonce takes over as CEO and Managing Partner, shortly after being elevated to Chief Operating Officer. She serves as the primary point of contact for the firm’s services of media and public relations strategies, marketing, and political campaign consulting. Koonce joined Optima in 2022, coming from MSI Communications. She previously held management roles at the Anchorage Daily News and the Resource Development Council for Alaska.

Sarah Paulus steps in as COO, after a brief term as Chief Technology Officer. Prior to joining Optima nine years ago, Paulus served as a lead web manager for the federal court system in Alaska and as a lead web technician at Alaska Pacific University. Paulus is an Alaska Air National Guard veteran with military police experience.

A pair of Survey Technicians joined R&M Consultants in the Geomatics Department, supporting the firm’s surveying and mapping teams in Anchorage and Fairbanks.

Laron Thomas began working with R&M seasonally last summer and became full-time at the Anchorage office over the winter. He has performed boundary, design, topographic, as-built, and hydrographic surveys, and he has experience with land ownership and boundary research. Thomas earned a bachelor’s degree in linguistics (Yup’ik) from UAF and has a master’s degree in teaching (secondary education) from UAS. He is proficient in the use of Trimble GPS, total station instruments, and AutoCAD Civil 3D.

At R&M’s Fairbanks office, Lauren Hurst has developed custom web applications, geodatabases, dashboards, and cartographic products for federal and state clients. Hurst earned a bachelor’s degree in geography from Western Washington University and a master’s degree in geospatial technologies from the University of Washington. She is experienced in ESRI mapping products, GPS surveying methods, and LiDAR. She is certified as a Wilderness First Responder and a GIS Specialist for Incident Management through the National Wildfire Coordinating Group.