Kaylee Devine, formerly vice president and director of strategy at Spawn Ideas, returns to the integrated advertising agency as its new President. Devine worked as an account strategist for twelve years before leaving Spawn Ideas in 2023. Most recently, she served as senior director of marketing and communications for NANA North. Devine holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the W. P. Carey School of Business and a minor in Spanish from Arizona State University. Her return comes as Spawn Ideas, with a fifty-year history of serving clients in Anchorage, was acquired in January by employee-owned Strategic America of West Des Moines, Iowa, through its Bore Tide One Source subsidiary.

Yupiit Grant Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Akiak Native Community, promoted Sheila Carl to President, responsible for all day-to-day operations and staff, client development, service delivery, and financial performance. Carl, who is Yup’ik and a tribal member of Akiak Native Community, worked as the Tribal Administrator for more than sixteen years. Carl joined Yupiit Grant Services two years ago as the company’s Director, credited with helping to acquire its first clients.

The Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska hired Holly Snowball Morales as 477 Director of Innovation and Development. Morales has represented Alaska on the National 477 Tribal workgroup, the number referring to Public Law 102-477, the Indian Employment, Training, and Related Services Demonstration Act of 1992. Previously serving as the Deputy Operating Officer at Cook Inlet Tribal Council, Morales works from Tlingit & Haida’s Anchorage office, side-by-side with 477 Manager Jesse Parr, to lead the development and implementation of Tlingit & Haida’s 477 workforce plan. Born and raised in Anchorage, of Yup’ik and Irish descent, Morales earned a bachelor’s degree in organizational management from Alaska Pacific University.

Denali Universal Services (DUS) promoted three leaders at its Anchorage headquarters.

Annette Sheppard becomes Vice President of Strategy and Client Services, overseeing external relations, marketing, business development, and client engagement. Sheppard has been with DUS for eight years, most recently as director of business development and external affairs.

Kim Sanderson is now Vice President of Facilities Operations. Sanderson oversees DUS’s facilities division, focusing on strategic planning, operational efficiency, and client relations. She has been with DUS for eleven years, previously serving as operations director.

Corina Ovod-Everett is promoted to Vice President of Human Resources. Ovod-Everett is responsible for talent management, employee engagement, and organizational development across DUS’s Alaska and Lower 48 workforce. She has been with DUS for six years, most recently serving as director of human resources.

KPB Architects promoted Ryann Swalling, a member of the team for almost twenty years, to Associate Principal. Swalling started her career as an architectural intern and rose through the ranks. “I returned to Anchorage after earning my architecture degree with the desire to continue my family’s history in Alaska’s construction industry and to enhance our built environment for residents and visitors alike. I chose KPB Architects as the best firm to set me up to achieve that dream. Since then, KPB has given me amazing opportunities,” she says. She served as project architect on seven of the twenty-five pieces of the F-35 Beddown at Eielson Air Force Base. She was the founding vice-chair of the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals Group.

Lauren Jennings joins R&M Consultants as an Environmental Specialist in the firm’s Earth Sciences Department, responsible for National Environmental Policy Act impact analysis and document preparation, regulatory permitting, environmental field surveys, storm water management, and other office- and field-based environmental services. Jennings has a bachelor’s degree in anthropology and master’s degree in geology, both from the University of Arkansas, and is a certified erosion and sediment control lead. Jennings specializes in geologic investigations through geophysics and geochemistry, cultural resource mitigation, stormwater pollution prevention, and regulatory compliance.

James Delaney, a corrosion control technician at Coffman Engineers in Anchorage, obtained his American Petroleum Institute (API) 653 certification as an Aboveground Storage Tank Inspector. With this certification, Delaney can perform and oversee tank inspection activities, including repair recommendations, oversight of non-destructive testing (NDT), and reports for clients. Delaney holds a bachelor’s degree in applied technology on top of an associate’s degree in welding and NDT technology from UAA.

Schwabe welcomes Zach Forrester to the law firm’s Anchorage office as an Associate. Forrester is an Indian Country and Alaska Native corporation lawyer who provides strategic counsel and advocacy. He has researched and written extensively on federal Indian and tribal issues. Forrester earned his JD at Willamette University School of Law, graduating magna cum laude in 2023, and he worked as a judicial clerk.

Larry B. Monsma joins Landye Bennett Blumstein as an Associate Attorney with a focus on civil litigation, construction law, insurance litigation, and liability defense. Monsma has more than twenty years of courtroom experience, conducting more than 150 criminal jury trials. Monsma earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from California State University, Long Beach, and he got his JD with honors from the John F. Kennedy University College of Law (now part of National University). He has worked for county agencies across California, the Municipality of Anchorage, and the Alaska Attorney General’s office.