Denali Universal Services (DUS) added Bernard Chastain to its executive team as a Security Director, collaborating with clients and DUS personnel to meet security needs. Chastain began his career as an Alaska Wildlife Trooper in Soldotna and Glennallen and worked his way up to colonel. As deputy director of Wildlife Troopers from 2015 to 2020, and later of the Alaska State Troopers, Chastain managed recruitment, training, vehicle programs, and budgets.

The Anchorage law firm of Landye Bennett Blumstein (LBB) added two attorneys.

Joseph Levesque represents Alaska municipalities and private clients throughout the state with a focus on municipal law, civil litigation, simple wills, and labor and employment law. Levesque began his legal career in civil practice and then clerked for US Magistrate Judge John D. Roberts before serving as a prosecutor for the Alaska District Attorney’s office in Kenai. Levesque became borough attorney for the North Slope Borough before shifting to private practice. He joins LBB after leading Levesque Law Group for twelve years.

Noah Star joins LBB as an associate and brings nearly a decade of work and life experience in Alaska. After a stint as a legislative aide, Star began his legal career clerking for Alaska Supreme Court Justice Jennifer Stuart Henderson. Star then served as an assistant attorney general for the Alaska Department of Law civil division, as a civil division fellow, and in the natural resources section. At LBB, he focuses on natural resources law, fisheries law, Alaska Native law, administrative law, and civil litigation.

Coffman Engineers promoted Eliot Jordan to Discipline Manager of the fire protection engineering team, leading the fire protection group and performing fire alarm and life safety code analysis. His mechanical engineering experience from designing commercial and institutional ventilations systems laid the foundation for his shift into fire protection. Jordan earned a master’s degree in fire protection engineering from California Polytechnic State University. With twenty-four years of professional engineering experience, Jordan has served as the qualified fire protection engineer on projects in the oil and gas and federal sectors.

Three Anchorage-based employees earn promotions to the executive team at Global Credit Union.

Jessica Graham is now Executive Vice President and Chief Risk Officer, responsible for support services and facilitating cross-departmental communication. Graham joined the credit union in 2017 as senior vice president and general counsel and was promoted to chief risk officer and general counsel in 2019.

Katy Pritsos becomes Senior Vice President, People Operations. In her new role, she is responsible for overseeing Global’s Talent Development and Human Resources departments. Pritsos has been with Global since 2015 and previously held the position of vice president, human resources.

Chris Hibbs was promoted to Vice President, Consumer Lending, where he leads all facets of sales and underwriting for Global’s Consumer Lending department. Hibbs has been with the credit union since 2006, prior to the former Alaska USA Federal Credit Union acquiring its first branches outside of the Pacific Northwest.

Credit Union 1 (CU1) added three new vice presidents to its leadership team. “We are excited to witness the innovative ideas and initiatives they will spearhead to drive CU1 forward and make a difference in the lives of our members and beyond,” says President and CEO Mark Burgess.

Vice President of Risk and Compliance Angela Bradford brings more than twenty-three years of experience in the financial sector, from teller trainer to department manager. Her professional philosophy centers on fostering teamwork through continuous learning and cross-functional collaboration.

Eric Johnson joined CU1 as Vice President of Accounting. His previous roles included CFO and director of financial planning and analysis at Copper River Seafoods; prior to that he was manager of finance and administration at Denali Media Holdings. Johnson received a bachelor’s degree in accounting and MBA from UAA.

Vice President of Information Systems Travis Rupp has more than twenty-five years of IT and information security expertise, mostly with Alaska credit unions. Rupp holds a master’s degree in project management from UAA and is passionate about leveraging technology to reduce barriers and empower people.

Nicolle Welch joined KeyBank as Senior Area Retail Leader for the Alaska market, overseeing KeyBank’s network of ten Alaska branches and supporting the small business segment. With more than eighteen years of banking experience, including district management at Wells Fargo, Welch brings a wealth of expertise to her new role. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Nevada, Reno and is a graduate of the Pacific Coast Banking School.

The Aleut Corporation added two new professionals to its team and promoted one.

Theresa Cross joins Aleut as Senior Director of Regional Operations, overseeing the Grants, Lands, and Shareholders Records departments in partnership with the vice president of regional affairs. Most recently working for the State of Alaska as director of the Support Services Division, Cross has been nominated four times for the Governor’s Denali Peak Performance Award.

Ethan Tyler joins Aleut as Director of Government Affairs, responsible for developing legislative strategies, public messaging, and building relationships with government entities and private partners. Tyler performed a similar role in his most recent position at Cook Inlet Region, Inc., and before that he was director of Alaska State Parks and Outdoor Recreation.

Aleut promoted Bethany Monfore to Director of Growth and Strategy. Reporting to COO Mandy Hawes, Monfore leads Aleut’s growth initiatives, focusing on fostering collaboration across subsidiaries and driving Aleut’s corporate acquisition and integration strategy. Monfore originally joined Aleut in 2020, and her experience includes serving as growth and strategy manager and small business and 8(a) compliance manager.

The board of directors for Project GRAD Kenai Peninsula hired former teacher and school district superintendent Rayna Bird as the organization’s new Executive Director. Bird has extensive experience in grant management and reporting, which will be invaluable for an organization that relies on federal and state grant funding. She also has experience in workforce development, tribal government, and community relations. Project GRAD has partnered with the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District for more than twenty years to provide supplemental education and activities at nine isolated and underserved schools.