Tanadgusix, the village corporation for St. Paul in the Pribilof Islands, better known as TDX Corporation, has new executives in charge.

The board of directors hired Jay Hermanson, a principal at NorEnergi Consulting in Anchorage, to take over as CEO. Hermanson earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and economics from Washington State University in Pullman, Washington, and he was the first employee and general manager of NANA Regional Corporation subsidiary Kuna Engineering.

TDX also welcomed a new CFO, Tatiana Prokofieva, who has more than a decade of experience in strategic leadership in financial reporting, governance, compliance, and long-range planning for Alaska Native Corporations, tribal governments, and federal contracting entities.

The Alaska Native corporation for the Prince William Sound region has a new person in charge of its holding company and a new head of communications.

Chugach Alaska Corporation promoted Gwen Welch to President of Chugach Commercial Holdings (CCH). Welch had been serving as CCH’s senior vice president. In her new role, Welch oversees an expanding commercial portfolio which already encompasses eight operating companies and approximately 800 employees spanning Alaska, Hawai’i, and Illinois. Welch earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from UAA and joined Chugach in 2002.

To oversee brand strategy and media relations, Chugach promoted Randi Jo Gause to Vice President of Marketing and Communications. Gause joined Chugach more than a decade ago and most recently served as marketing and communications director. Gause earned a bachelor’s degree in public relations from the University of Utah and an MBA in International Business from Thunderbird School of Global Management in Phoenix, Arizona.

Alaska Communications appointed Jesse Kleinbach as Vice President to expand service options, improve operational efficiency, and ensure partners and customers experience exceptional support and connectivity. Kleinbach holds a degree in international relations with a focus on economics from the University of Colorado. With more than twenty-five years of experience in telecom, Kleinbach has led initiatives that simplify connectivity, expand market opportunities, and ensure customers receive reliable, innovative services.

The board of the Anchorage Economic Development Corporation (AEDC) found a new President and CEO at the Alaska Small Business Development Center. That organization’s state director, Jon Bittner, steps into the vacancy left when Jenna Wright, who succeeded longtime AEDC leader Bill Popp in 2023, had to take extended medical leave. Having previously served at AEDC, Bittner combines deep institutional knowledge with new energy and perspectives. A graduate of the Anchorage School District and UAA, Bittner has held leadership roles advancing business growth and economic opportunity across the state.

Mat-Su Health Foundation, the nonprofit co-owner of Mat-Su Regional Medical Center, hired Csesalie Bates as Chief Administrative Officer to lead internal operations, administrative strategy, and enterprise-wide systems. Bates previously held a senior leadership role in the healthcare sector where she led operations for three Class A healthcare facilities and supported more than 100 employees. Bates studied accounting and small business administration at UAA and earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from Western Governors University, a Utah-based online school.

The Alaska Public Interest Research Group, better known as AKPIRG, selected Indra Arriaga as Executive Director. Arriaga brings decades of experience in finance, management, research, and community leadership to the consumer protection nonprofit. She most recently served as strategic and operational director with the Alaska Institute for Justice.

A longtime veteran of the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council, Diana Evans, is the federal regulatory body’s new Executive Director, overseeing fourteen staff from the Anchorage office. Evans becomes the council’s fifth leader since it was established under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976. Evans received undergraduate degrees in geography and linguistics from the University of California, Berkeley and has a master’s degree in geography from the University of London. She has been employed by the council since 2002 and served as deputy director since 2017.

Cheryl Siemers didn’t have to wait until summer to find out if her position as UAA Chancellor would be locked in beyond the interim. In March, UA System President Pat Pitney decided that Siemers earned the appointment through a search process that concluded in October. Siemers earned a master’s degree in English at UAA and a PhD in rhetoric and linguistics from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She joined UAA in 2002 as adjunct faculty at Kenai Peninsula College.

To lead the bankable feasibility study for Donlin Gold, contracted to Fluor corporation, developers of the Middle Kuskokwim mining project hired Frank Arcese as its in-house Project Director. Arcese held senior leadership roles with TECK/Cominco and Rio Tinto and was most recently the North American capital projects business leader for engineering consulting firm WSP.